You're Beautiful
by Xgamerkf
Summary: A continuation of the tale of Toph and Katara from “The Tales of Ba Sing Se.” Summary inside. Katoph, ShoujoAi, Rated T for Scenes of Sensuality. Chapter 9 added: March 31
1. Chapter 1

**_Avatar: The Last Airbender_**

**You're Beautiful**

Author: Xgamerkf

Genre: Drama/Romance

Pairing: Katara/Toph

Rating: Teen – Scenes of Sensuality

Disclaimer: "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and its corresponding characters, locations, and trademarks are the properties of Nickelodeon. All rights reserved.

Summary: After a day of leisure and pampering at the spa, Katara and Toph are returning home when three girls make fun of the young earthbender. When Katara stands up for her, something changes, and she begins to feel something new for the older girl. Later than night, she confesses these new feelings to the Water Tribe girl, and what results is something neither of them thought possible.

**Chapter 1: "You're beautiful…"**

Surprisingly enough, the day had gone fairly well. Toph wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of spending the day at a fancy spa like Katara was, but she had to admit, she'd had fun. That said, not everything at the spa had been what one would call an enjoyable experience – having her feet cleaned was at the forefront of that list, but at the end of it all, she liked how it made her feel. She actually felt girly for a change. She felt…pretty.

At least, she did until those three girls they passed on the bridge said otherwise. Being blind, Toph really had no idea what she or anyone else looked like, and while her appearance was not something she ever really took too seriously, the hurtful jokes and comments that the girls had made still struck home. Toph had gotten her revenge with Katara's help, dropping the girls though the bridge and sending them down the stream. While it felt good, it didn't help to ease the pain as the damage had already been done.

Katara and Toph continued walking down the path in a bit of an uncomfortable silence until Katara finally spoke up, feeling the need to make sure Toph was okay. She knew the young earthbender was tough, but something in her voice when she responded to the girls at the bridge told Katara the she was hurting inside.

"Forget about those girls, Toph," Katara said in a calming voice. "They don't know what they're talking about."

"It's okay," Toph lied, attempting to put on a strong front. "One of the advantages about being blind is that I don't have to worry about appearances. I don't care what I look like. I'm not looking for anyone's approval."

Toph was trying her best not to show it, but even as she spoke, the emotional wall she had put up around herself to hide her feelings was slowly beginning to crumble. When she could fight it no more, she stopped walking and lowered her head, tears forming in her milky green eyes.

"I know who I am," she finished, defying her sadness even as the tears trickled down her cheeks.

"That's what I really admire about you, Toph," Katara said as she approached the girl from behind. "You're so strong, confident and self-assured. And I know it doesn't matter, but…" she paused and brought her hand up and gently placed it on the girl's shoulder, turning her slightly so that she could see her face, "…you're really pretty."

Toph lifted her head slightly upon hearing this. The words were soft, gentle and reassuring, and they sounded sincere, but it was the last thing Katara said that really caught her attention and seemed to have the most impact. She didn't know why. Somehow, those last three words, above all the others, made her feel better again.

"I am?" she asked, half not believing the older girl.

"Yeah," Katara said, a kind and loving smile on her face, "you are."

Toph smiled. Katara thought she was pretty. She didn't know why that meant so much to her, or why it felt so good to hear, but it did. She didn't even know for sure if the waterbender really meant it, but for now, just hearing the words was enough to lift her spirits.

"I'd return the compliment, but I have no idea what you look like," Toph joked, getting a laugh from Katara as they began walking again. "Thank you, Katara," she added before giving her friend a playful punch on the arm.

"Ow," Katara squeaked, rubbing her arm.

- - - - - - - - - -

Later That Night

With the day passed into night and the moon shining high overhead outside their temporary home in Ba Sing Se, Aang and the rest of the gang had finished dinner and were sharing tea and stories with each other about their various experiences throughout the day. Unfortunately, no one had any new information in their continuing search for Appa, but Aang apparently had quite the adventure in his attempt to help a petting zoo owner, finding him and his animals more suitable facilities and living environments. Sokka also seemed to have had a fairly eventful evening, speaking proudly and boasting about his defeat of a poetry teacher in an impromptu Haiku-off. Though, to his dismay, no one believed him.

Katara shared the story of her and Toph's day at spa with the boys, but as she expected, they didn't take too much interest in the tale. Even so, the Water Tribe girl made sure not to mention their confrontation at the bridge. Despite the Toph's ability to put on a strong front, Katara knew the hateful things those girls said had really hurt her inside, and even though she knew the younger girl hadn't forgotten the experience, she didn't want her to have to relive those unpleasant memories.

While the rest of the group exchanged their stories, Toph herself remained silent, only half paying attention to what was being said. Her thoughts were consumed with the memory of what had happened earlier in the day…though, oddly enough, not of the part she would have expected.

It was the things Katara had said; why they seemed to mean so much to her; why Katara's thinking she was pretty mattered so much. It gave her a warm feeling inside whenever she though about it; a strange feeling of joy and happiness that wasn't quite like anything she'd really felt before. It was difficult to explain. Something just felt…different now.

With a few shared laughs and additional stories, the group had finally finished their tea and was beginning to grow weary. As they prepared for bed, Katara noticed that Toph had already quietly slipped away into her room. She had been relatively reclusive all evening, which Katara could only assume was related to the events from earlier in the day. She couldn't help but feel for the younger girl, because for all she knew she may have had to put up with similar treatment from people like that for much of her life.

After Aang and Sokka retired to their respective rooms for the night, Katara gradually made her way over to Toph's doorway, stepping as lightly as she could in an attempt to minimize her vibrations so as not to disturb the young earthbender if she had already fallen asleep. She stood silently and listened intently through the door for any sign that the girl might still be awake. About a minute ticked by before she resigned herself to the fact that her friend was asleep, and slowly began to withdraw from the door when a faint voice caught her ear.

"Katara?" Toph whispered.

"It's me," she replied softly, turning back to the doorway. "Sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't, I was just thinking." Toph paused for a moment. "You can come in if you want."

Katara briefly glanced around the hall and listened for anyone else who may be awake. Content with the silence, she slowly slid open the door to the girl's room and made her way inside, closing it behind her.

"Hey," she whispered, taking a few cautious steps forward. "You okay?"

"Yeah, you don't have to worry about me," Toph replied frankly. "I used be in the Earth Rumble tournaments, remember? I'm used to hearing comments from jerks like that. You don't have to come to my rescue, though, I can take care of myself."

There was a long pause following the girl's comments, leaving Katara feeling a little unwelcome despite her earlier invitation. She started to turn to leave when she heard Toph's voice again. "Thanks, though."

Katara looked back over her shoulder and smiled. "You're welcome, Toph. Goodnight."

"Wait," she said with a hint of uneasiness in her voice, stopping the older girl again as she was about to leave. "Did you…did you mean what you said?"

"What?"

"Earlier, you said that…that I was pretty." She paused and lifted her head up. "Did you really mean that?"

The Water Tribe girl turned back to Toph and walked over to her, sitting down in next to the blind girl and wrapping her arms around her in a gentle hug.

"Of course I meant it, I wouldn't have said it if I didn't think so," Katara assured her, releasing her embrace. "Why would you ask something like that?"

"I've never really had any friends before," Toph began. "My whole life, my parents hid me away from most of the outside world because I was blind, thinking they were protecting me. But I didn't feel protected, I didn't need it; all I felt was alone and isolated. That's why I secretly competed in the Earth Rumble tournaments, and why I left home to come with you guys; to break away from that sheltered life." She paused and turned her head in her friend's direction. "And now that I'm with you, I feel wanted…cared for. I've never had that feeling."

Katara reached out and took one of the young earthbender's hands and gently cupped it into her own, causing Toph to blush slightly in the dim moonlight.

"We're glad to have you along, Toph. Aang chose you as his earthbending teacher for a reason, and you're just as much our friend now as any of us. You're part of our family now."

"It's more than that with you, though. At least, it is now…for me."

Katara shifted her position slightly. "What do you mean?"

"I…I…" Toph paused in a moment of uncertainty, abruptly recoiling her hand away from Katara's and lowering her head, shying away from the older girl. "Nothing. Nevermind."

"What is it? Tell me."

"I…I can't. I shouldn't."

"It's okay, you can tell me." Katara placed a comforting hand on the blind girl's shoulder. "I know you don't need anyone to take care of you, but we're friends, Toph. You can talk to me about anything."

Toph's eyes began to water slightly as the other girl spoke, overwhelmed by her feelings.

"No one's ever treated me like this before. Most people just want to take care of me, ignoring what I want or feel. You actually care _about_ me. And after today, I realized that…" she paused and turned her head, and seemed to look Katara directly in the eyes as if she could actually see her, "…I care about you."

The Water Tribe girl's eyes widened slightly, taken aback by this statement. It felt…strange to hear. It wasn't so much what Toph had said, but how she said it. Surely she didn't mean… No, of course not…could she? Was that even possible?

"W-what do you mean?" she asked in her confusion.

Toph blushed and turned her head away again, embarrassed. "I don't know. I mean…I know we didn't exactly get along at first, but…I've never felt this way about anyone before."

"You mean…?" Katara paused, her question eliciting a faint nod from Toph, which confirmed her thoughts. "But…how? Why? I mean, I'm a girl, like you are."

"So what?" she countered. "Would I know that if no one told me? Would I know if a person was ugly or not if someone didn't tell me? What difference would it make, anyway? Boy, girl, ugly, pretty; everyone looks the same to me. I don't see people the same way you do. I don't know what you look like, and it doesn't matter to me that you're a girl. All I know is that someone has been treating me kinder than anyone I've ever known, and that I've come to care for that person…a lot." Toph paused as a tear trickled down her cheek, before turning her head back towards the older girl. "And that person's you, Katara."

Katara was speechless. She never could have imagined that she'd had such an effect on the younger girl. And after hearing what Toph had said, opening her tough outer shell and pouring her heart into her hands, she truly had no idea what to think or feel. What _should_ she think? What should she say? What _could_ she say? The last thing she wanted to do was hurt her, of course, but…there was something else…and she didn't know what. It was all so confusing.

"Toph, I…I don't know what to say," she finally managed.

"Say that you care about me, that you feel the same way I do."

"I…I can't. I'm sorry, but…I just…I just don't know."

The young earthbender turned away, lowing her head in shame. "I'm sorry, Katara. I never should have said anything."

"No, don't be. Look, I'm glad you told me. It must have taken a lot of courage. It's just that…this is all so sudden for me. I don't know what to think or how to feel. I just…I need some time to think about all this."

Toph didn't respond. She simply sat motionless with her back turned and her eyes closed. After a long silence, Katara began to stir and turned so that she was sitting on her knees. "I think I should go…"

"Before…before you do, I have a favor to ask."

"Anything…"

Toph turned around so that she was now, too, sitting on her knees and facing Katara. "I…I want to see you. I want to see your face, what you look like."

"But how?" Katara asked, puzzled. "You're blind."

"It's something I learned growing up. All I do is run my hand over your face, and I can feel the different shapes and contours of your face, which makes an outline in my mind of what you look like. I usually don't ask people this because it can feel a little awkward, but…it's important to me."

A soft smile formed on Katara's face. "Okay, Toph," she said kindly. She then leaned forward and slowly crawled over to Toph, stopping when their knees touched.

Feeling her approach, Toph lifted her hand and extended it out towards the older girl. After she settled in, Katara gently took the young earthbender's hand into her own and guided it to the side of her cheek.

Toph began to move her hand gradually around the edge of Katara's face, exploring the soft curves and contours of her forehead, cheeks and chin, and taking in the smooth texture of her skin. As she did so, Katara felt genuinely surprised by the tenderness of the younger girl's touch as she traced her fingertips around her face. She'd never imagined that Toph, who always seemed so rough and brawny, could also be so gentle, so loving. She was amazed by it.

The waterbender closed her eyes as Toph's delicate hand ran slowly down her face, starting at her hairline and moving straight down over her eyes, nose and mouth. Her lips parted slightly as the girl's fingertips passed over them, letting out a content sigh and sending a slight shudder down her spine. The feeling seemed strange under the circumstances, but it was not unpleasant, and as she relaxed, Katara found herself melting into the other girl's sensual caress.

After a moment, Katara exhaled again, releasing another breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and bringing her mind back down to reality. This was all so confusing. She wasn't sure what these new feelings meant, or that she should even be having them, but she couldn't deny that something was there; something different, stronger than before. Is this what Toph meant? Was this how she felt? Maybe these feelings weren't as strange as she thought they were.

Toph's hand began to slow as she approached the conclusion of her exploration of Katara's face. The canvas being painted in blind girl's mind was almost complete, and she could scarcely believe the fairness of the older girl before her. It was an image she would never forget.

As the young earthbender's hand returned to where it's journey had begun, Katara's eyes slowly opened to see tears forming in Toph's eyes and a joyful smile on her face. Katara smiled back, placing her hand over the one still resting on her cheek and gently taking hold of it as a small cloud moved overhead, obscuring light from the moon.

"You're beautiful…" Toph said, nearly speechless.

Katara laughed, smiled and cried all at once, overwhelmed by a flood of emotion. "So are you."

The Water Tribe girl paused when the cloud passed, allowing the dim moonlight to shine through the window once more, and stared deeply into the earthbender's milky green eyes. Something _was_ different somehow. The girl sitting in front of her wasn't just Toph anymore. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. It just felt like there was more to it now…far more. It felt like she was suddenly seeing the younger girl in a new light. It felt nice.

Toph narrowed her eyebrows as something odd caught her attention. It was faint, and she hadn't noticed it at first, but Katara's heart was beating a little faster than it was before. She started to wonder why, for a moment, before feeling the older girl's weight shift slightly in front of her and her heart begin to beat a little faster still.

"Katara?" she asked, puzzled by the strange sensations.

An instant later, the earthbender's eyes widened in surprise as she felt something soft press lightly against the edge of her lips, and then pull back, coming to a rest only a short distance away. She sat there frozen in disbelief as her own heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks turned an deep, rosy red when she realized what just happened.

"You…you kissed me," she muttered, wholly mystified. "Why?"

"I…don't know," the waterbender replied timidly, not sure of the answer herself. "I just…felt like it."

"But… I thought… You said…" Toph stammered in her confusion. "I don't understand."

"I know…I'm not sure I do, either." Katara paused as she too began to blush. "I guess I just…changed my mind."

The young earthbender couldn't believe what she was hearing. Katara liked her back. She hadn't said it in so many words, but she did – and she kissed her! She actually kissed her! Toph could still feel the tingling sensation on her lips from where the other girl's had touched. It felt like a dream.

With her heart racing, she closed her eyes and faintly puckered her lips. She had practically no idea what on earth she was doing, only that she wanted to kiss Katara back. There was no question in her mind as to why, though. It was simply because she wanted to, because she _felt_ like it.

She leaned forward ever so slowly, inching closer and closer to the Water Tribe girl. When she felt a light breath of air blow passed her lips, however, she hesitated. There was barely an inch now separating the two, and all of a sudden she felt overwhelmingly nervous and flustered, unsure if she should continue and fully expecting Katara to pull away. But she didn't, and when another light breath swept passed the young earthbender's lips, everything was suddenly calm, and a warm feeling swelled within her.

Her confidence restored, Toph leaned in and closed the distance between herself and Katara, and met the older girl's lips with her own. It that moment, time seemed to stop, and all of their doubt and uncertainty fell away…and they kissed.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Avatar: The Last Airbender_**

**You're Beautiful**

Author: Xgamerkf

Genre: Drama/Romance

Pairing: Katara/Toph

Rating: Teen – Scenes of Sensuality

Disclaimer: "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and its corresponding characters, locations, and trademarks are the properties of Nickelodeon. All rights reserved.

Author Comments: Thanks to everyone who's read, commented and reviewed my story. I'm really glad you all are enjoying it so far. This story was originally intended to be nothing more than a simple one-shot, but the positive reception and my own muse got the better of me, and Chapter 2 is now here (with more to come).

This chapter was beginning to get longer than I originally wanted, and was taking much too long to write due to school and other miscellaneous things. So, to go ahead and get an update out there, I decided to split it into what is now Chapter 2 and what will eventually be Chapter 3 (once finished). Now, without further adieu, here's the continuation of You're Beautiful. Enjoy!

**Chapter 2: Young Love **

The Next Morning

Katara stirred slightly on the bedding, moaning softly as she slowly began to wake. Her dreams had been rather pleasant that night, and she'd slept comfortably, more so than any previous night since arriving in Ba Sing Se. The young waterbender's eyes fluttered sheepishly as she returned to reality, the early morning sunlight creeping in through the window and illuminating the room in a faint, soothing twilight.

As her eyelids parted and she regained awareness of her senses, she felt a gentle warmth radiating through her nightgown, cradled in her arms and nestled closely up against her. A smile slowly worked it's way across her face as she tightened her embrace on the young earthbender, snuggling up against her and feeling the girl's dark hair tickle her nose as the memories of the night before replayed in her mind. It had started simply enough, with her merely wanting to make sure that Toph was okay after the events on the bridge earlier in the day. However, what she got was something she never could have imagined.

Not only had Toph confessed some very strong and shocking feelings for the older girl, but – despite how strange it seemed at first – Katara soon found herself sharing those feelings with the young earthbender…not to mention a kiss. She wasn't sure why, or what exactly had spurred her on to kiss the younger girl, but the way it had made her feel was undeniable. She knew the feelings probably weren't normal; that they went against much of what she had been raised to know, but with the way she felt right now, with Toph wrapped tightly in her arms, she wasn't sure that she cared.

Feeling Katara's warm embrace, Toph sighed contently as she awakened from her own dreamland, wiggling around slightly so that she was held more comfortably in the older girl's grasp. Lying peacefully in Katara's arms, the only thing the young earthbender could think of was the night before and the tender kiss that the two girls had shared…her first kiss. Toph had never felt so happy in all her life, and she could scarcely believe that it hadn't all been a dream.

"Good morning," Toph said sleepily, releasing a deep sigh as a grin spread across her face. "Sugar Queen."

The waterbender chuckled at the nickname and moved her hand up to Toph's head, gently stroking her fingers through the younger girl's hair.

"Good morning," Katara replied, running her delicate fingers through Toph's hair again. "Sourpuss."

Both girls laughed softly, and Toph rolled over in Katara's arms so they were facing each other. Katara guided her hand to the blind girl's bangs and moved them away from her smiling face, looking deeply into her beautiful, milky green eyes.

"Thanks for staying," Toph said. "It's a little chillier here at night than where I used to live; not as easy to keep warm."

"Well, Ba Sing Se is a lot further north than where you lived," Katara commented. "You should have been with us at the North Pole, though. Sokka and I are more used to it since we're from the South Pole, but you can't imagine how cold it can get there."

"Probably not. It's usually pretty warm in Gaoling, even in the winter." Toph grinned slightly and began to blush. "You could have kept me warm, though. You make a good blanket."

"Anytime," Katara joked, giggling softly. She tilted her head forward and closed her eyes, placing a gentle kiss on the young earthbender's forehead before slowly rising to her feet. "Come on, let's go eat breakfast."

"Sounds good."

- - - - - - - - - -

Katara and Toph were already seated and almost finished with their breakfast when Sokka emerged from his room. The two girls looked up at him, and he stood idle for a moment with his eyes only partly open, obviously still half asleep. He blinked slowly, then outstretched his arms, arched his back and exhaled a deep, exhaustive yawn. The Water Tribe boy smacked his lips several times and rubbed his eyes and belly before starting off towards the kitchen to find something to satisfy his rumbling stomach.

"Sleep well?" Katara asked with an amused grin on her face.

"Uuuhhhhh…" groaned Sokka as he staggered passed the two girls, hunched over with his mouth gapping open and drool running down his chin.

Katara and Toph sat in silence for a moment as he walked by, and then giggled softly to each other before returning to the half-eaten pastries in their hands. After a few minutes, Sokka – now much more awake and alert – returned with a plate full of various pastries, bread and other food items. He quickly took a seat and started scarfing them down, pausing only to breathe, swallow, or fight Momo away from his breakfast.

"Pho," the young warrior said, his mouth full of food, "where'ph Aang?"

Both girls remained quiet and didn't respond, but Katara looked at Sokka with her arms folded and an annoyed look on her face. Sokka paused and looked down at the crumbs scattered out on the table in front of him, then back up at his two friends. "Phorry."

"Twinkle-Toes left already," Toph said, answering Sokka's question. "Said he wanted an early start today looking for our big, fuzzy friend."

"Toph and I are heading out pretty soon, too," Katara added. "We thought we'd spend some more time together today."

Sokka began to speak, but paused to swallow a mouthful of food first. "Really? I figured you guys would be at each others throats by now." He paused and reached for an apple, unknowingly grabbing it at the same time as Momo. "Guess you've gotten pretty close then, huh?"

The young warrior felt a pull on the apple in his hand and looked over to see Momo's large, innocent eyes staring back at him. He sneered and pulled back on the apple, turning his attention towards the tug-of-war match that had started between him and the lemur. They snarled angrily at each other as they fought over possession of the fruit.

"Yeah," Katara replied, glancing over at Toph and not noticing that her brother was no longer paying any attention, "I guess we have."

Toph lowered her head shyly and blushed as a meek smile spread across her face.

"That's good…" Sokka said slowly, not listening to his sister's response. He gave another tug at the apple to try to pull it from Momo's grasp when the lemur lurched forward and bit Sokka's finger, causing him to jerk his hand back in surprise. "Ow! Why you little-"

"Sokka!" Katara exclaimed. "Be nice to poor Momo," she said, reaching out and petting the lemur behind the ears.

"But! He!" Sokka paused, then sat back and crossed his arms, dejected. He frowned and glared intently at Momo.

"Well, I've had about as much as this as I care to take," Toph said as she stood up from her seat. "Come on, Katara, let's go." Katara stood up and followed Toph to the door, telling Sokka goodbye before the two girls exited the apartment and started out on their day.

With his sister gone, Sokka stood up from his seat and stared at Momo, then calmly – but firmly – told the lemur to give him back the apple. Momo's ears rose, curious, as he heard Sokka's voice, and he looked back and forth between the fruit and Water Tribe boy. Sokka repeated his demand for the apple, less patiently than before, and the lemur cocked his head and looked at the fruit in his hand. Momo then held up the apple and opened his mouth, threatening to take a bite. But before he could, Sokka reached out quickly and swiped the fruit from the lemur's grasp.

"Haha!" Sokka exclaimed, clutching the apple victoriously.

Momo lowered his ears in disappointment as the young warrior clutched the apple tightly and took a bite. He moved his head in close to Momo's and opened his mouth, taunting the lemur with the chunk of fruit resting on his tongue as he started humming a mocking tune.

"Nah-nah, nah-nah- Ack!" Sokka shrieked in surprise.

Momo had abruptly interrupted Sokka's taunts by reaching in and grabbing his tongue, stretching it out and exposing the piece of fruit. The lemur swiped the chunk of apple from the boy's mouth with his free hand, then quickly popped it into his own mouth and ate it, leaving Sokka with an annoyed and angry look on his face.

- - - - - - - - - -

A Few Hours Later

"How did I let you talk me into this again?"

Katara sat at a bench inside the fine clothing store, just outside of the dressing room while Toph tried on some clothes. She waited eagerly for the younger girl to come back out wearing the new outfit that she had picked out for her.

"Come on, this isn't that bad," the waterbender argued. "Besides, I agreed to do whatever you wanted to do later. Now come on out, I want to see how that looks on you."

Toph sighed as she finished trying to adjust the new garment and reluctantly made her way out of the dressing room. Katara looked up and admired the young earthbender as she emerged, dressed in a gorgeous dark-green silk kimono that was trimmed with a gold colored fabric and laced with several various floral patterns and symbols. She looked simply beautiful in the exquisite clothing as the lighting in the room shimmered off the fabric, giving it a gentle, elegant glow. The only apparent problem that Katara could see was the distorted, unpleasant scowl that occupied her friend's face, radiating her obvious discomfort. Katara tried to hide her laughter towards Toph's expression, but failed.

"I knew it!" Toph exclaimed, stomping her foot. "You dressed me up like a clown, didn't you!?"

"What? No! You know I wouldn't do that," Katara defended. "Those robes look beautiful on you."

"Then, what's so funny?!"

The Water Tribe girl giggled softly. "I never really noticed before, but you're kind of cute when you're angry; you look funny with your face all scrunched up like that."

"Well, I wouldn't be making this face if this stupid outfit wasn't so uncomfortable." Toph paused and wriggled around a little, tugging on the fabric. "It's too tight."

"Here, let me take a look." Katara stood up and walked over to the younger girl and closely admired the garment she was wearing.

Despite the knowledge that the older girl shared the same feelings that she did for her, Toph felt strangely awkward as Katara knelt down next to her and started fiddling with the fabric, opening and closing parts of the robe and refitting it to her slender body. Then, Toph felt a sudden tickling sensation around her waist that sent a slight shudder through her body and caused her to blush.

Katara quickly recoiled her hand, embarrassed that she had let her hand slip and brush up against the other girl's hips. She tilted her head up and muttered out a brief apology, but then she noticed the reddish tint that now covered Toph's cheeks. Considering the recent revelations, it occurred to Katara that the young earthbender might not have exactly minded the accidental touch, which caused her to blush lightly as well. She refocusing her attention and quickly finished up with the garment.

"There. All done," Katara said cheerfully as she backed up to get a better look at Toph. "Feel better?"

"Yeah, much better, actually." Toph smiled, then twirled around on one foot and stood in a graceful, elegant pose. "So, how do I look, Lady Katara?" she asked, mocking her high society roots.

"Stunning, Miss Bei Fong," Katara said, playing along with the dramatics. "Simply stunning."

There was a short pause, and the two girls burst out into a fit of laughter.

"I'll be right back," Katara said, still giggling. "I'm going to find some stuff to try on."

Toph walked over to the bench that Katara had been seated in earlier and sat down while the older girl sifted through various outfits. She sighed. This was the reason the young earthbender hadn't wanted to go clothes shopping; it always bored her never having anything to do but wait. Even so, she sat patiently, occupying herself with whatever trivial things she could think of while she waited.

Several minutes later, after picking out a few different garments she had liked, Katara returned to the dressing room area and started trying them on. One outfit closely resembled the one she had picked out for Toph; only it was lighter in color and decorated with fewer floral patterns. Another was similar to the simple blue robes that she usually wore, but it was made with a finer material and looked far more extravagant. Katara exited the dressing room once more, this time with a sly grin on her face, and she stood in front of the blind girl with her hands at her hips.

"How do I look, Toph?" she asked playfully.

Toph crossed her arms and frowned, annoyed. "What are you asking me for? You know I can't see what you look like in those clothes. Heck, you could be naked right now and I wouldn't know any different."

"Aw, really? That's too bad," said Katara coyly, slowly making her way over to where Toph was seated. She knelt down in front of the bench, right next to the young earthbender.

Something was different; Toph could feel it. The older girl was trembling slightly and her heart was beating just a little faster than before, and Toph could hear something different in the older girl's voice. It sounded very teasing and mischievous, and very flirtatious.

"Because, as it turns out," Katara paused and leaned in close to Toph's ear, her voice now all but a whisper…and very seductive, "I'm not wearing any clothes…"

Toph's eyes widened and her face turned bright red, and her entire body tingled nervously as she heard the waterbender's words and felt the tickling of her breath on her ear. Katara giggled lightly and placed a quick, playful kiss on the young earthbender's cheek. She then stood and quickly retreated back to the dressing room, leaving the blind girl entranced with a stunned and bewildered expression on her face.

She sat there for a moment, completely paralyzed. There was no way Katara was really naked just then… There was just no way…right? Ordinarily, Toph would have been able to tell almost instantly if she had been telling the truth about that, but with her friend's heart already beating faster than normal – presumably due to nervousness, coupled with her own flustered feelings currently overwhelming her senses, she just couldn't tell.

"I hate you right now…" Toph said dryly, resting her chin in her hands as she heard Katara's quiet laughter coming from the dressing room. "So where are we going after this?"

"Well, I overheard a couple of girls at the spa yesterday talking about some teashop in the lower ring. They called it a 'hidden jewel,' or something like that. They say the tea maker there makes the best tea in the entire city."

"Fine by me. But considering some of the tea we've had around here so far, that's not saying very much."

Katara giggled softly as she looked out at Toph. "Good point."


	3. Chapter 3

**_Avatar: The Last Airbender_**

**You're Beautiful**

Author: Xgamerkf

Genre: Drama/Romance

Pairing: Katara/Toph

Rating: Teen – Scenes of Sensuality

Disclaimer: "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and its corresponding characters, locations, and trademarks are the properties of Nickelodeon. All rights reserved.

Author Comments: Wow, good thing I split these two chapters up, huh? This part by itself was starting to get a little longer than I expected, so image if I hadn't split them up. Anyway, thank you all for your reviews and comments. I really appreciate the kind words, and I'm glad you're enjoying my little story. I should be able to wrap everything up in about another two or three chapters. However, as a word of warning, those chapters may take a little longer to write as the story itself begins to get a little more interesting. But enough useless babble; here's Chapter 3. Enjoy!

**Chapter 3: An Old Friend**

Sometime Around Noon

"Um, excuse me," came the soft, reserved voice of a girl standing at the counter.

"Oh, Jin, hello," Iroh said, smiling at the dark haired girl as he finished washing out a dirty cup. "Did you enjoy your tea?"

"Yes, thank you. It was wonderful," Jin said kindly. She then pulled out a slip of paper and slid it across the counter. "And…thank you for the coupon. It was very sweet of you."

"You're welcome, but the gift was actually my nephew's idea."

Iroh slipped the coupon off the counter and put it away, then took Jin's teacup and dunked it into a pool of nearby water to wash it off. Jin stood hesitantly and twiddled her thumbs for a moment, thinking quietly to herself and building up her courage.

"Um, is Lee here?" she asked. "He seemed upset when he left last night, and I was worried. I was hoping to see him again today, but I haven't seen him here."

"Oh, um…I'm afraid he's not coming in today," Iroh said. "He was feeling a little under the weather this morning." He paused as he noticed Jin lower her head, seemingly disappointed. "However, Lee told me that if you came by, to tell you that he'd had a nice time last night."

"Really?" Jin said cheerfully. "I'm glad. I had a good time with him, too. Would you tell Lee that I hope he feels better?"

"Of course. I'm sure he will be happy to hear it."

"Thank you, and thanks again for the tea."

"You're welcome, Jin," Iroh said, bowing slightly. "Fare well."

Jin bowed respectfully and said goodbye, then turned to leave and made her way to the door.

- - - - - - - - - -

Katara and Toph were strolling through the streets in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se in search of the teashop. Due to Toph's suggestion, the two girls had dropped off their new outfits back at home before heading down to the lower district, and decided to wear only their plane, everyday clothes in order to avoid attracting any unwanted attention. It hadn't occurred to Katara at first, but Toph wasted no time in pointing out how obvious a target that two young girls wandering around the poor part of town – wearing fancy new clothes, no less – would be to muggers. Not that they couldn't handle a group of muggers, but still.

So far the two girls' luck had held out, and they'd yet to encountered any such problems. But after about an hour's time, passing building after building and searching countless streets, it was becoming obvious that they weren't having such luck in their search for the teashop.

"We're lost, aren't we…?" Toph said dryly.

"No, we are _not_ lost." Katara argued, her annoyance apparent as she looked up from the map in her hands and scanned the surrounding buildings. "I just…well…" She hesitated and looked back down at the map, then turned it slightly and cocked her head sideways, confused. She paused a moment and sighed. "Okay…we're lost."

Katara stopped and looked away from the map, glancing over at Toph…but she wasn't there. She looked up and started searching around for Toph for a moment when she heard the young earthbender's voice coming from behind her. The Water Tribe girl turned to see Toph talking with another girl who was knelt down slightly to be of even level with the blind girl. The other girl looked a little older than Katara was, and she had dark hair and wore a dull green robe, somewhat similar to her own clothing.

She couldn't hear the conversation well enough to make out what they were saying, but after a minute, Toph looked back in her direction and waved her over. She looked down at the map in her hands briefly, then wadded it up and tucked it away before making her way over to the other girls.

"Hi!" the older girl said as Katara approached. "You must be Katara. I'm Jin. Your friend here tells me you've gotten a little lost?"

"Uh, sort of," Katara replied sheepishly. "We're looking for a teashop. I know it's around here somewhere, but…"

"You two are from one of the upper rings, aren't you?" Jin asked rhetorically. "You're not the first ones I've met from the upper levels to ask about that place. I guess word of mouth spreads pretty quickly."

"Are the rumors true? I heard it has the best tea in the city."

"Well, it's the best tea I've ever had. Although, I've never been to the upper levels, so I don't know how it compares with what you have there. Still, with all the people coming down to the lower ring looking for it, I guess they could be true."

Toph sighed and crossed her arms, tapping her foot against the ground impatiently. "So anyway," she interjected, "do you know where the place is, or what?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I just came from there, actually," Jin said. She turned and pointed back down the road where Katara and Toph had just come from. "It's just back that way; the fourth building on the left."

"Oh…right…" Katara said, laughing slightly in embarrassment. "Well, thanks a lot for your help."

"My pleasure. It was nice meeting you."

"You too. Have a nice day," Katara said, waving goodbye as the girls went on their separate ways.

As Katara and Toph entered the teashop, their voices caught Iroh's attention and he looked up from wiping the counter. He was about to greet them like he does every customer when he suddenly recognized who they were, immediately sending him into a bit of a nervous panic. The old tea maker quickly turned away from the counter and occupied himself with some miscellaneous task in an attempt to hide himself. To his luck, the two girls hadn't seen him yet, as they were talking with each other when they came in.

It had been about two months since either group had seen the other, and with his beard having grown out a little since then, Iroh considered that he might not have to mask his appearance too carefully. That said, the only thing about the situation that gave the old firebender any real relief was his luck that Zuko hadn't wanted to come into work today, as seeing anything relating to the Avatar would no doubt set off the young prince.

"Hello!" Katara said kindly as she approached the counter, startling Iroh slightly and breaking his train of thought.

"Hello. Welcome to my teashop," greeted the teashop's owner. "What can I get for you young ladies today?"

"Two cups of Jasmine, please."

"My pleasure." The shop owner paused, and then spoke over his shoulder to Iroh with a more serious tone in his voice. "Did you get that order, Mr. Mushi?"

Iroh grunted and cleared his throat. "Uh, of course. Coming right up" he said nervously, speaking more deeply than usual in an attempt to disguise his voice. "Have a seat anywhere and I'll be right with you."

Katara turned away from the counter and spotted an open table, then started making her way over to sit down. Toph, on the other hand, stood idle, lost in thought with a strained look on her face. There was something odd, but strangely familiar about the tea maker's voice. His tone? The way he spoke? It was definitely familiar, but something seemed different as well. She couldn't quite place it, but she knew that she'd heard the old man's voice somewhere before…she never forgot a voice.

After a few moments, Toph pushed her thoughts aside and followed Katara over to the table, taking a seat across from the older girl. She wasn't going to make a big deal out of it, but she vowed to herself that she'd remember who that old man was before leaving. In the meantime, she had someone more important to give her attention to.

"I still can't believe you wanted to trip that girl after she helped us like that," Katara said. "She was really nice."

"To _you_," Toph retorted, crossing her arms. "She treated me like some lost pet that got off its leash."

"Well, you did kind of wander off on me there," Katara said jokingly. She paused for a moment as the thought entered her mind, and giggled softly. "Maybe I should get a little leash for you."

"Ha ha, very funny," Toph mocked as an amused grin worked it's way across her face.

Back behind the counter, Iroh had found a spare cloth and quickly wrapped it around his head so that it mimicked a bandage, and covered part of his face. It wasn't much of a disguise, but it'd have to be enough. He then began work on making the tea, setting up the burner and getting the pot ready. While he did so, he couldn't prevent his mind from wandering, curious as to what the Avatar and his friends could be doing in Ba Sing Se.

Iroh had seen the Avatar's bison flying overhead one night when he and Zuko rode the ferry in route to the city, but the large beast didn't seem to be headed in Ba Sing Se's direction. Instead, it seemed to be heading farther east, potentially to the Eastern Air Temple. Why the Avatar would be headed there he didn't know, but it was a fairly long distance to the temple, and whatever his business there couldn't have taken less than a few days. Still, that had been about two weeks ago, so it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that the young Avatar could have made the trip and now be in Ba Sing Se.

No matter. It wasn't his concern, and with a little luck it would never have to be again. He had come to Ba Sing Se with Zuko so they could start a new life, and escape the imminent persecution of the Fire Nation…their homeland. So far, things were finally beginning to look up. Even for Zuko.

Putting no further thought towards the Avatar or his business in the city, Iroh finished brewing the cups of tea for his two new customers.

Meanwhile, Katara and Toph were waiting patiently at their table, talking. Katara was telling Toph of her and the gang's adventures at the North Pole. Though more specifically, she spoke of her experience with the waterbending master there, and her feelings of contempt and disgust towards certain customs that the Northern Water Tribe practiced. That dislike of rules and customs was something Toph could relate to.

"You know Master Pakku wouldn't even teach me at first?" Katara asked rhetorically. "All because I was a girl; because of their stupid old customs."

"I know what you mean," Toph sympathized. "My earthbending teacher never-"

The blind girl stopped mid-sentence as she felt movement coming around the shop's counter. As the tea maker approached with their drinks, Toph could almost picture him in her mind as she felt the vibrations from his footsteps ripple across the floor and up through her body. The young earthbender knew that she'd met the old man before, but couldn't place whom or where having only heard his disguised voice. Now, having felt his footsteps as well, Toph was all but certain of whom the old man was. If she were right, the next "test" would confirm it.

"Toph?" Katara asked curiously, bringing the younger girl back to reality. "Toph? What's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing. It's just the tea guy," Toph replied as the old man approached.

"Here you are, ladies," Iroh said, unknowingly on queue, and keeping sure to maintain his guise.

"Oh, thank you," Katara replied, giving the old man a brief smile and a nod as he sat the teacups down.

"Enjoy your tea." Iroh bowed politely before returning to the counter and continuing his shop duties.

Iroh was relieved that the Water Tribe girl didn't seem to have noticed him, which lifted his confidence in the effectiveness of his disguise. The other girl, however, she must have known who he was. While Iroh knew the young earthbender was blind, he also knew that she possessed some truly extraordinary gifts that could more than compensate for her so-called handicap. For whatever reason, though, the old firebender felt that the secret of his identity would be safe with her.

After the tea maker left their drinks on the table, Toph reached out and took a cup in her hand, holding it up to her nose and briefly taking in the warm liquid's delightful aroma. It had been some time since she'd had a cup of tea that smelled this good. In fact, she could remember exactly when that time was. So when the young earthbender finally took a sip from the teacup, there was no real surprise that it, too, was familiar to her.

It was as she suspected. The old tea maker was, indeed, the same kind old man that she had met on the road all that time ago. He had turned out to be Fire Nation, but what did that matter? It was him that had shown her kindness that day and convinced her that she should return to her new friends; him that had made her realize that she didn't always have to do things alone.

_"There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you."_

Toph raised her head up slightly and looked in Katara's direction. A soft smile formed on the blind girl's lips and a swell of happiness filled her heart as she thought of the beautiful waterbender. All the while, the old firebender's wise words echoed through her mind; wise words, indeed.

Katara took a sip of her tea, and then paused as she noticed the younger girl seemingly staring at her. "What?" she asked sheepishly.

"Nothing," Toph replied with a soft smile. "I'm just thinking about you."

The Water Tribe girl giggled and blushed lightly in a slight feeling of embarrassment, and brushed one of her hair-loops away from her face before letting it settle back into place. She wasn't quite sure why Toph suddenly had such an effect on her. The two girls had only really been friends for a little over a month, but it seemed like so much longer to her now. There was a deeper connection than there was before, and she felt happy just being around the younger girl. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized how much that she, too, had come to care about the young earthbender.

Katara took another quick drink before continuing her and Toph's previous conversation. "So, what were you saying about your earthbending teacher?"

The two girls spent the next half-hour lost in conversation with each other, nearly forgetting all about their tea as they talked back and forth, exchanging experiences with one another. After finishing their tea, Katara collected the cups and carried them up to the counter while Toph waited at the table. She thanked the old tea maker for the both of them and complimented him greatly on the tea, then made her way back to the young earthbender at the table.

"Ready to go, Toph?" Katara asked.

"Almost. You go on ahead and wait for me outside," Toph replied, standing up from the table. "I'll be right out."

Katara paused for a moment, curious, but agreed. "Well…alright, I guess. I'll be right outside."

While the Water Tribe girl made her way out of the teashop, Toph stood up from the table and headed in the opposite direction, and approached the counter. The old tea maker was standing behind the counter with a calm, content gaze, and he hummed a quiet tune to himself as he washed out a pair of teacups.

"I know who you are," Toph said firmly.

"Yes, I thought that you might," Iroh said plainly, no longer attempting to mask his voice. "It would seem that my guise was adequate to mislead your friend, but from the moment I saw _you_," he paused as a soft grin spread across his face, "I knew I was doomed."

Toph smiled happily. "It's good meeting you again. Glad to see you're okay."

"And you, as well. Though, I must confess, your presence here does complicate things for me."

"Why?" Toph asked, puzzled.

"Sadly, the history that my nephew and I share with your friends has not exactly been a pleasant one." As he spoke, memories of the various run-ins that Iroh has had with the Avatar and his friends replayed in his mind. While they were dotted with a few seemingly neutral encounters, the majority of them were under far less desirable circumstances. "You and I know each other on more friendly terms," he continued, "but I do not know how your friends would react to the knowledge of our presence in Ba Sing Se. Though, I suspect that they would not greet us kindly."

"Is that why you disguised yourself from me and Katara?"

"Yes, and it is also why I request that you not tell you're friends that we are in the city."

"Maybe I could talk to them for you; explain everything. I'm sure they'd understand."

"Perhaps they would. But, unfortunately, my nephew would not, and I know he would not react well if he knew that the Avatar was here in Ba Sing Se." Iroh paused and placed the teacup he was cleaning on the counter. "We've come here to escape our past and start a new life, and I fear that if either my nephew or your friends knew each other were in the city, it could jeopardize that."

Toph paused as she considered Iroh's statements. She was a little hesitant to just accept it so easily, but his words made sense. She didn't know the past that her friends and the old man shared before she joined the group, so there was no way she could judge how they'd react to one another. However, what she did know is that she thought of the old firebender as a friend, and the last thing she wanted to do was make any trouble for him.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she agreed reluctantly. "Your secret's safe with me. Just one thing: We're all staying at an apartment in the upper level of the city. If you or your nephew find yourselves in any trouble, you know where to find us."

"Thank you." Iroh bowed respectfully.

"Don't mention it. Just think of it as…repaying a favor."

Toph smiled and turned to leave, and Iroh went back to his regular duties at the shop. He had been glad to see the blind girl again, but, as with many of his encounters with the Avatar and his friends, the circumstances in which they met left much to be desired. He looked up to see the blind girl waving goodbye as she left the teashop, and he smiled. Maybe one day, Iroh hoped, those circumstances could change, and they could all greet each other as friends.

When Toph emerged, Katara stepped away from the wall of the teashop, which she had been leaning up against while she waited for the younger girl.

"Okay, we can go now," said the young earthbender.

"So, where do you want to go?" Katara asked as they started off down the street. "I asked what you wanted to do earlier, but you never told me."

"You'll see," Toph replied, grinning mischievously. "But first, we need to find some water."

Katara cocked an eyebrow curiously, somewhat confused by the strange request. For some, unexplainable reason, the she wasn't entirely sure she liked the sound of that.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Avatar: The Last Airbender_**

**You're Beautiful**

Author: Xgamerkf

Genre: Drama/Romance

Pairing: Katara/Toph

Rating: Teen – Scenes of Sensuality

Disclaimer: "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and its corresponding characters, locations, and trademarks are the properties of Nickelodeon. All rights reserved.

Author Comments: Wow, it's been a little while, eh? Sorry for the delays. With Christmas coming and going, and school starting up again for me, things just started getting in the way. Plus, the fact that I had a little trouble writing a scene or two didn't help any either, heh. That's just how it goes, I guess.

So anyway, my apologies for the wait accompanying this chapter, and also for any future delays with chapters to come (because there likely will be some). I'll try my best to keep them at something of a minimum, though, especially since things may get a little interesting pretty soon. But enough talk, you're here for the next chapter of the story, not my pitiful ramblings. Enjoy!

**Chapter 4: Lover's Lake**

Later That Afternoon

"You know, Toph, when I said we could do whatever you wanted," Katara said as she undid her hair and slipped out of her overgarments, "this is honestly something I wasn't expecting."

"Yeah, well, you promised," said Toph, undoing the clasp on her own garment. "And I've been wanting to learn how to swim for a while now…after what happened at the Serpent's Pass."

The memories of that day were still fresh in Toph's mind. One minute she was trying to follow Sokka's voice across the ice bridge, and the next she was fighting for her very life, struggling with everything she had to just keep her head above the water. Trying…and failing. It was the only time in the young earthbender's life that she could remember ever being truly afraid, because for the first time in her life, she had been truly helpless. For Toph, who'd always been able to take care of herself, it was that feeling of helplessness that frightened her more than anything else.

Had it not been for that Suki girl…

Toph shook her head, breaking the thought. She hated feeling so vulnerable, left defenseless to whatever fate had in store for her. She never wanted to be caught in a situation like that again.

After disrobing, Katara took their clothes and set them under the shade of a nearby tree to keep them dry. The young waterbender waded out into the small lake slowly, judging its depth and checking for any sudden drop-offs. It was roughly waist-deep for Katara for a good portion of the way out, before it started to drop off and soon come up to around her shoulders. Not too deep or shallow, about right for some basic swimming lessons once Toph felt comfortable enough in the water.

As she waded back to the shallow part of the lake, Katara took in the soothing sensations being offered by the surrounding environment. The water was just the right temperature having been under the warm gaze of the sun all day, and the gentle breeze rolling over the hills felt nice and calming as it whipped lightly through her hair and caressed her skin. She smiled; perfect conditions for an afternoon swim.

"Okay, Toph, come on in," she said happily. "The water's fine."

Toph made her way to the edge of the lake, but hesitated where the earth stopped and the water began. It was a strange feeling whenever she was around larger bodies of water like this. She could vaguely tell where the lake was compared to the rest of the environment because, ironically, it was the only thing that she couldn't really see through the earth. However, that sense was limited and could be misleading, and it became blurred very quickly.

As the solid earth became soft and muddy the further it extended into the water, it became exponentially worse at carrying vibrations. The first few feet or so was similar to what Toph had experienced with the sand while in the desert; her vision fuzzy, but the terrain otherwise providing at least some sense of visibility for the blind girl. Mud was different, though. After that first few feet, the vibrations carried through the soft mush became too weak and distorted to make any real sense of the surroundings. Beyond that…there was nothing; emptiness in an otherwise full environment.

Fighting back her nervous feelings, Toph extended her foot and cautiously dipped it into the lake. It seemed okay at first, but when her toes didn't immediately make contact with the earth that every instinct in her said should be there, an alarm went off in her head and a sudden sense of panic spiked within her. Before she knew it, she had recoiled her foot out of the water and was holding it suspended back over dry land. She shook her head in frustration and attempted to shake her uneasy feelings, but they remained.

"Do you want any help, Toph?" Katara asked softly, watching the younger girl's struggle unfold.

"N-no. I'm alright," she replied, trying to conceal her anxiety.

Toph was grateful for the offer, and it was reassuring to know that Katara was there for her, but she didn't want to take the older girl up on it if she didn't have to. Something was holding her back, and she wanted so much to overcome that obstacle on her own, like she had countless others. Even so, as she stared out over what she could only see as an empty abyss, she was struggling to renew her confidence. As much as she wanted to overcome it, she just hoped that she could.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, attempting to calm her nerves. She then slowly extended her leg out over the lake as she did before, and lowered her foot into the water. But as she did so, the same panicky feelings from before once again rushed over her, shattering her concentration and dissolving whatever resolve she had left. She fought the nervous impulse with everything she had, but her mind simply wouldn't allow her continue. She was afraid…and she hated herself for it.

"Dang it!" she shouted, slamming her wet foot on the ground in frustration. "Why can't I do this?!"

"It's okay, Toph," Katara said in a calmingly tone, wading back to the bank.

"No it's not! I can't feel anything out there! Out there I really am blind, and I'm…I'm scared, okay?" Toph frowned and lowered her head in shame. "I can't do it…I'm such a coward."

"No you're not. How could you even think that?"

"I'm too afraid to wade out into a stupid pool of water!"

"Everyone has something they're afraid of," Katara said thoughtfully, sitting down on the bank near where Toph was standing, "it's what they do about it that matters." The young waterbender paused briefly as she gazed out over the horizon. "Your fears aren't something to be ashamed of, and they don't make you a coward; not if you're willing to face them. The fact that you're here now, that you wanted to be here, proves that you are willing. But that doesn't mean you have to face them alone."

Toph stood in silence, considering what the waterbender had said. After a few moments, she turned her head in Katara's direction, smiling. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Katara asked, turning to face the younger girl.

"_That_. You do it with Aang all the time, and you did it with me yesterday. You always know what to say to make people feel better. How do you do that?"

"I don't know…I asked my mother that same question once. She was always like that." Katara grinned softly. "She was always there for me when I needed her, and…I'll always be there for you."

Toph smiled happily as she blinked away the small tears forming in her eyes, but not before the Water Tribe girl could notice. She wanted to say thank you, to express her appreciation towards the older girl, but somehow the words just didn't seem like enough. The young earthbender took a deep breath as her spirits returned, and she felt strong again, thanks to Katara.

"Okay. I think I'm ready to do this now," Toph said, before extending an arm out towards Katara. "Care to give me a hand, Sugar Queen?"

Katara gently took the younger girl's hand into her own and smiled. "Gladly."

- - - - - - - - - -

"Appa!"

As Aang glided around the city high overhead, he peered down at the streets below, looking for some kind of sign; anything that could help lead him to Appa. He spent long hours walking the streets as well; asking around the local shops and talking with citizens he passed along the way, but all to little effect. This was roughly Aang's daily routine ever since arriving in Ba Sing Se, but he had no new leads on Appa's whereabouts and felt no closer to finding his lost friend.

Some four weeks had passed since the group of sandbenders had taken Appa, and since then Aang has wanted nothing but to find him. Over that time, however, he had gone through many different things that served to do little more than distract him from that objective. He had escorted a small family of refugees across the deadly Serpent's Pass, fended off a massive Fire Nation assault on Ba Sing Se, and even inside the city itself, Long Feng and his Dai Li agents had threatened to halt his search for the flying bison permanently. The last few weeks had taken a greater toll on his emotions than he had ever thought possible, and while he still had hope, the sheer size of the Earth Kingdom capital made looking for Appa like finding a needle in a haystack.

"Appa!" Aang shouted again at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing for a mile.

No response.

Taking a hand off his glider, the young airbender reached into his pocket and pulled out his bison whistle. He waited a moment more before bringing it up to his lips and blowing hard into the small object, sending the almost inaudible call of the whistle sounding through the skies. He stopped blowing and continued to glide, listening intently for the sound of Appa's low, bellowing roar. Once again, there was no response.

No surprise.

Aang lowered his head and sighed. "Appa, where are you?" he murmured, his voice only a whisper.

After a few more hours, Aang noticed that it was starting to get late and grudgingly resigned his efforts for the day, ultimately deciding that it would be better to get some rest and resume the search again tomorrow. As he turned in the air to make his way home, he passed a glance to the west to see the sun low in the sky, and debated between returning to the apartment now, and staying out to watch the sunset. With another day of searching ending in vain, the choice wasn't a difficult one. He needed something to help lift his spirits, and he thought maybe a peaceful sunset could provide that.

The young Avatar knew of the perfect place, too. He had spotted a small lake a few days ago that lay just outside the inner walls of the city – which he later learned was named Lover's Lake, which provided a beautiful view of the scenery from a nearby shade tree. It made him happy just thinking about it. He only wished Katara could be there to see it with him.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Well, _that_ went well," said Toph as she planted her feet back on dry land, her tone dripping with more sarcasm than her hair was water. The blind girl tilted her head and took hold of her long black hair, wringing out as much water as she could. "I guess water isn't exactly 'my element.'"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Katara said playfully, pausing as she stepped out of the lake and wrung out her own hair. "I thought you did really well for you first time. I didn't get it when I was first learning, and neither did Sokka. My mom said it took him almost two days to get the basics down; it only took you a couple of hours."

"Yeah?" Toph asked, walking past the older girl and taking a seat under the nearby tree. "How long did it take you?"

"Oh, uhh, about an hour…" the Water Tribe girl replied, hesitating slightly with her answer. When Toph's only response was to cross her arms and smirk, Katara sighed and admitted the embarrassing truth. "One week…"

Toph suddenly burst out into a fit of laughter, making no effort at all to try and control her outburst or hide her amusement. Katara growled and put her hands on her hips, glaring angrily at the young earthbender as she doubled over and clutched her sides, giggling profusely. She watched in growing frustration as the scene unfolded in front of her, fighting the urge to drench the blind girl in a tidal wave of lake water. Instead, she merely grumbled and crossed her arms, tapping her foot in annoyance.

"That's not funny, Toph," she said coarsely, the younger girl's laughter finally dieing down. "Besides, I was only four years old."

Toph chuckled once more before casually sitting back against the tree trunk. "It's a little funny."

After a moment, Katara's harsh gaze slowly began to fade as she considered the situation. She had become a very powerful waterbender, after all. For her to have had trouble merely learning how to swim, and what's more for her to have taken longer than Sokka, it did have a certain comedic irony to it. After a moment of thought, she relaxed her arms and the angry look on her face softened into more of a lightly amused, yet still somewhat annoyed grin.

"Okay," Katara conceded, sitting down next to Toph under the tree, "it is a little funny."

For about the next half-hour, the two girls sat silently, shoulder-to-shoulder against an exposed root beneath the tree. Neither said a word as the minutes passed and the sun sank lower in the sky; they simply enjoyed the other's company.

Toph listened to the wind gently rustling over the grass and through the leaves above, taking in the sounds and enjoying the musical chirps from the birds as they sang overhead. Meanwhile, Katara looked out over the landscape and took in the sights that the environment had to offer. The sky was now filled with a magnificent array of colors, and the soft clouds scattered over the horizon looked a brilliant mix of violet, red and orange, with the setting sun at the focal point. It was like something out of a storybook, truly a wonderful scene to behold.

Toph sighed contently, smiling as she laid her head on Katara's shoulder.

"It's a beautiful sunset," Katara murmured, tilting her head and resting it tenderly against the younger girl's. "I wish you could see it."

"I don't need to," Toph replied. She then wrapped her arm around Katara's and grasped her hand tightly, fingers intertwined. "I've already got the most beautiful thing out here sitting right next to me, and I don't need my eyes to see that."

As Toph's words resonated through Katara's mind, her eyes began to water, and she smiled. Suddenly, she felt it; the same strange feeling that she had experienced only the night before. It had caught her off guard, surprising and even confusing her then, but the young waterbender now recognized it almost immediately. She was happy to find that the sensation was no less pleasant…or any less profound.

Katara looked at Toph and brought her free hand up to the younger girl's bangs, gently brushing them aside. As she did so, the earthbender turned her head to face the older girl, who looked deeply into the pair of milky green eyes before her. Though the Water Tribe girl may have felt some doubts before, there now were none. She wasn't sure what it would come to mean, but what Katara did know was that she cared deeply for blind girl, and that she felt the same. In this place and time, nothing else mattered.

With a feathery touch, Katara cupped her hand on Toph's cheek and tilted her head forward, placing a tender kiss on the girl's forehead. When she pulled away, barely a second passed by before Toph leaned in and pressed her lips gently against Katara's. The sudden action was a little unexpected, but far from unwelcome. With scarcely a moment's hesitation, Katara returned the young earthbender's affections, sealing their newfound love with a soft, sensual kiss.

- - - - - - - - - -

As Aang gliding effortlessly over the inner walls of Ba Sing Se, out into the vast countryside that separated the rest of the city from it's protective outer wall, he admired the colors that decorated the sky as the sun slowly sank over the horizon. When he reached a familiar landmark a short ways out, he banked to the north and continued on towards his destination. A few minutes later, he could see the lone treetop over the hills and began to close the distance.

The base of the tree and the nearby lake soon came into view, and Aang could vaguely make out the silhouette of someone seated underneath it, staring out into the west towards the setting sun. The prospect that he'd have someone to enjoy the evening with gave him a delighted grin, but as the figure came clearer into view, a smile the size of his arrow spread across the Avatar's face. He had no idea why she would be out here, nor did it matter, but he couldn't believe this twist of luck. After another disappointing day spent looking for Appa, he'd get to watch the sunset at Lover's Lake with Katara after all.

Aang's heart filled with joy as he closed the distance, but when the boy got closer he noticed a second figure sitting adjacent to the waterbender. He was a little confused at first, but thought nothing of it when he recognized the other person as his earthbending teacher, Toph. What happened next, however, brought the young airbender's world down around him. He wanted to deny it, but he was close enough now to make the two girls out clearly, and there was no mistaking the scandalous secret that he had stumbled upon. Without a second thought, he abruptly veered away and started making his way back to the city, his heart in shambles.

The whole way home, as the tears formed in his eyes and trickled down his cheeks, his mind was filled with the image of what he had seen; what he wished he hadn't. Katara and Toph…were kissing.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Avatar: The Last Airbender_**

**You're Beautiful**

Author: Xgamerkf

Genre: Drama/Romance

Pairing: Katara/Toph

Rating: Teen – Scenes of Sensuality

Disclaimer: "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and its corresponding characters, locations, and trademarks are the properties of Nickelodeon. All rights reserved.

Author Comments: Well, at long last the next chapter is finally finished. Woo! As with last time, I'm sorry it took so long to update, but it can't be helped. School and life in general simply gets in the way. Even so, I think this is the longest chapter so far – word count wise, so it makes sense it'd take a little while. In any case, I greatly appreciate everyone's kind words and reviews, and I'm glad to see you're all enjoying the story so far. It means more than you may think. I hope this chapter is worth the wait. Enjoy!

**Chapter 5: A Storm Approaches**

That Night

"W-w-w-wait…" Sokka stammered, unsure he'd heard the younger boy right. "They were doing _what_ now?"

"Kissing!" Aang shouted, throwing his hands up in the air.

Sokka paused as his brain tried to wrap itself around what the airbender was telling him. The words were getting through, and the gears were turning inside his head, but for some reason the information just wasn't registering with him. He sat for a few seconds and scratched his head, crossed between a feeling of disbelief and thorough confusion.

"Katara and Toph," he said plainly, narrowing his eyebrows and trying to understand.

Aang nodded.

"My sister and your earthbending teacher."

Aang nodded again, growing impatient.

"…Kissing?"

"Yes!" the Avatar exclaimed in a final attempt to hammer the fact home.

Sokka's mouth parted slightly and his eyes grew wide as the weight of the issue finally sunk in. For a moment, something tugged at his thoughts and told him that he should have been disturbed, or even grossed out by the idea of two girls kissing each other – with one being his sister, nonetheless. Instead, there was only one real thought that occupied the boy's mind at this point, which he had little trouble putting into words.

"Girls can _do_ that?!"

In an instant, the young warrior's mind drifted away from reality, and he was transported into the realm of dream and fantasy. The first image that entered his mind was that of Katara and Toph sharing a kiss, much like he had with Suki not so long ago. He winced at the fact that one of them was his sister, but that uneasiness soon faded as the image of Katara morphed into someone different: Suki. Shortly after, Toph's form slowly changed as well, into that of Yue. With that, Sokka felt something of a guilty euphoria at the thought of the two most beautiful women he'd ever met, kissing.

Before long, random pairings of practically every girl he'd ever met – all in various states of undress – began rapidly cycling through the Water Tribe boy's mind, and just about any negative feelings he initially had towards the idea soon dissipated. He leaned forward in his seat and rested his chin in his hands, his face covered with a content, blissful smile. Seeing this, Momo hopped up onto the table in front of him and cocked his head curiously, reaching out and waving his hand back and forth past Sokka's face, bringing him back to reality just enough to form a coherent statement.

"Aang, thank you. You've just satisfied my dream quota for the rest of my life…"

Aang shook his head in disbelief of the older boy's statement. "W-what?! But…but it's disgusting!"

"A little weird that it's my little sister, yes. Disgusting?" Sokka paused momentarily as the provocative images quickly flashing through his mind again. "No, not so much."

The airbender lowered his head and sighed as he began pacing the floor. His mind was flooded with emotion, ranging anywhere from fear, grief, even anger. At what, exactly, he wasn't sure. Nothing…everything. His thoughts were cluttered and confused, twisted beyond any discernable recognition. All he knew was that – for some reason – it felt like he was losing Katara, and he was helpless to stop it.

"What am I going to do?" he said under his breath, plopping down onto the floor and burying his face in his hands.

"About what?"

"What do you mean, 'about what?'" Aang asked, lifting his head in genuine surprise. "What else?!"

"Eh, I don't see what the problem is," Sokka shrugged indifferently. "So what if Katara and Toph like each other? Big deal. Why do you care, anyway?"

"I…I…" Aang hesitated, stuttering with his words as he struggled, even now, to admit his feelings…but he couldn't do it. He lowered his head and sighed. "Just…forget it. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"Talk about what?" came a happy and curious voice from the apartment entrance.

The two boys and Momo each looked up simultaneously to see Katara standing in the doorway, holding it open for Toph as she walked in before closing it behind her. The girls stood together at the door, waiting for a response. After not receiving one, Katara passed a brief glance at her older brother, who was looking at them plainly but for a seemingly innocent smile that tugged at his lips. She raised a curious eyebrow, but didn't pay him very much attention. She then turned her attention to Aang. His head was now turned away, but the Water Tribe girl had seen the noticeably different expression worn on his boy's face beforehand, along with the pained look in his eyes.

"Talk about what?" she repeated, a hint of concern slipping into her voice. "What's going on?"

The grin on Sokka's face widened quickly. "Oh, nothing. Aang was just telling me-"

"Nothing," Aang interrupted, looking abruptly at the older boy. "It's nothing."

It wasn't nothing, Katara knew the young Avatar better than that by now. All of them did. The only thing that made sense for him to be upset about was having another unsuccessfully day searching for Appa, but Sokka's odd grin and cheerful demeanor did little to support that theory. Even so, what else could it be?

"Still no luck with Appa?" she asked softly.

"Yeah…" he lied.

"Do you want to talk abou-"

"No!" Aang barked angrily, startling the others a little. "No, I don't want to talk about it! Just…just leave me alone. I'm going to bed."

As the airbender started for his room, Katara began to follow cautiously, unsure of what to do. "Aang…"

He didn't respond, and without a word or a moment's hesitation in his steps, Aang disappeared into his room and closed the door hard behind him. The Water Tribe girl recoiled slightly as the door slammed shut in front of her, leaving herself, her brother and Toph to deal with the uncomfortable silence. Katara felt concerned, but it was obvious that Aang wanted to be alone, and she was content to leave him to himself for now. However, when she turned to see Sokka still grinning from ear to ear, her previous curiosity towards his expression quickly changed to one of annoyance and anger.

"What are you smiling about?" she demanded, putting her hands on her hips. "What is going on here?!"

Sokka paused before answering and considered his options. Here he was, sitting on a secret about his two female companions that not only was he not supposed to know about, but also – as Aang made quite apparent – wasn't supposed to let on to them that he knew. An interesting situation, but also a potentially entertaining one if he could play his cards right. He could easily spill the beans right now, then just sit back and enjoy the show that followed. However, he could also see a lot of entertainment value in just keeping the secret to himself and having a little fun of his own; messing with Katara and Toph a little and maybe getting them to tell him by accident.

The choice was obvious.

"Nothing!" he said, grinning innocently. "It's nothing you need to worry about."

Katara lowered her head and brought a hand up to meet her forehead. It was painfully obvious that she wasn't going to get any information from her brother, for whatever reason, and talking to Aang was out of the question at this point. Having nothing else to do, the Water Tribe girl sighed, defeated.

"Fine," she said, shrugging off her annoyance. "I'm going to get something to eat. You want anything, Toph?"

"Sure," she said cheerfully, following after the older girl and seeming as if she'd ignored everything that just happened.

After the two girls disappeared into the kitchen area, Sokka turned briefly and asked them to bring something back for him as well when they returned. Moments later, an apple flew out from the opening to the kitchen and pelted the young warrior on the back of the head, knocking him forward and bouncing the fruit into Momo's eagerly awaiting arms. Sokka hissed at the stinging pain and rubbed the spot where the fruit had hit, mumbling incoherently to himself before looking up to see the apple in the lemur's clutches.

Sokka stared intently at the lemur and held out his hand. "Momo, give me the apple…"

- - - - - - - - - -

Toph stood humming to herself with her hands back behind her head while Katara rummaged through the food storage, pulling out various items and setting them on plates for herself and the younger girl. Katara paused briefly and looked out the nearby window, staring out into night sky as the moon struggled to provide a source of illumination. The soft clouds that speckled the horizon earlier that evening were becoming more and more overcast, it seems, slowly covering the land in a thick shroud as they loomed overhead and blocked both moon and star. Most likely rain, the waterbender thought, but she had a feeling that it wouldn't be so quiet a night.

"Why can't we just tell them?" Toph asked bluntly, startling the other girl slightly.

"Hush!" Katara whispered sharply. "They might hear you!"

Toph scoffed at the older girl and rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't get your bindings in a twist. Twinkle-Toes is sulking in his room and Sokka's busy fighting with Momo over an apple; they can't hear us." She paused as rustling sounds and soft thumps came from the other room, accompanied by random grunts, squeaks and screeching noises. She smirked and crossed her arms. "See? Relax."

"I know," Katara sighed. "It's just…I don't think we should let other people know about our feelings for each other; not yet."

"Why not? I don't understand."

"I already told you, we don't know what people will think about us or how they'll react. Aang and Sokka included. I mean…this isn't exactly normal, as far as I know. What if they don't accept us? What if…what if they hate us?"

"They won't," the blind girl said calmly, dismissing the idea. "Sokka's your brother, and Aang still needs me to teach him earthbending. It'll be fine. We _are_ their friends, after all."

"I don't know…I guess." Katara shrugged, uncertain. "I wish I were as confident about this as you are. I'm freaking out, while here you are ready to step outside and shout it to the world." She paused briefly and stared blankly at the counter, absorbed in thought. "I want to tell them, I really do. I'm just not ready for that yet."

Toph groaned. "Alright, fine…" she agreed reluctantly. "If you say so."

"Thanks, Toph."

"Yeah, whatever."

The Water Tribe girl reached out placed a hand on Toph's pouting shoulder. "Look, when the time feels right, we'll tell them, okay?" She paused and smiled softly, "And we'll do it together, I promise."

"Okay," the young earthbender said, smiling in return as she grabbed one of the plates of food off the counter. She then turned to leave the kitchen, pausing momentarily as Katara followed suit. "I'll hold you to that promise, you know," she added coyly.

Katara chuckled. "Oh, I have no doubt."

With their plates in hand, the two girls returned to the other room where Sokka and Momo's struggle for the apple had ceased. Momo was sitting happily in a corner with his ears raised high, nibbling away at the delicious fruit. Meanwhile, the young warrior sat at the table with his stomach grumbling and his chin in his hands, a depressed scowl stuck to his face. He perked up quickly, however, when Katara and Toph took their seats across the table from him, forgetting all about the fact that he was even hungry.

"So! How was your day?" Sokka beamed, leaning forward in what actually seemed like genuine interest.

Katara and Toph each raised an eyebrow simultaneously and turned their heads towards one another, exchanging an odd look as they sat there dumbfounded. He wanted to know how their day was? Sokka never cared about how anyone else's day was, at least never nearly as much as he seemed to now. Something was definitely awry.

"Well?" he repeated, smiling blissfully.

"You…want to know how our day was…?" Katara asked dully. "Did you find a cactus juice vender in town or something?"

"Err…no. Why?"

"Because you haven't acted this weird since our little trip through the desert, that's why," Toph commented, scratching Momo behind the ear after he jumped up on her shoulder.

"What? How am I acting weird?"

"Oh, I don't know, lets see…" the waterbender mocked. "For one, you're actually _asking_ how our day went. Secondly, you've had that dumb smile smeared across your face ever since we got home."

"So I'm in a good mood and want to know about your day," Sokka dismissed, "I have a natural curiosity."

"So I've heard," Katara joked, grinning to herself as Toph stifled a laugh.

Sokka mocked the girls' laughter before getting up and leaving the room, returning with some food of his own. The group all sat and ate dinner together, and Katara eventually agreed to tell her brother about her and Toph's day; excluding a few key details. She told of the new clothes they bought and of the surprisingly good tea they'd had for lunch, but she was a little disappointed in the fact that she couldn't recall the location of the teashop having gotten lost while looking for it. Shortly after, Toph proudly explained how Katara was going to be teaching her how to swim and of how her first lesson went. Although the young earthbender admitted to not being so good at it yet, she did make a point to tease Sokka and Katara – again – about their experience learning.

During the retelling, Sokka took advantage of a couple opportunities to make a few small, but amusing and suggestive innuendos. Although he also made sure to feign ignorance and keep his jokes subtle enough so as not to ruin his mischievous fun. He was successful enough in that neither Katara nor Toph really seemed to catch on to his actually knowing their secret, though they did end up having to fight back a blush or two due to a couple of the older boy's comments. Sokka privately took immense humor from this, of course, enjoying his causing the two girls to squirm.

After finishing dinner and letting Momo pick away most of the remaining scraps, the three friends took their plates and utensils into the kitchen and cleaned them off, then washed up themselves and began getting ready for bed. Sokka was the first to retire, saying his goodnights through the door to his room and collapsing on his bed matting as the others finished getting ready. Toph followed soon after as she slipped into her simple nightgown, with Katara doing the same. Instead of retreating into her room immediately like Sokka had, however, the young earthbender waited outside her doorway for older girl to finish changing.

"Goodnight, Katara" Toph said, smiling softly as the waterbender approached.

"Goodnight, Toph," Katara replied, pulling the younger girl in close where they shared a warm, loving hug and a tender kiss goodnight. "Sleep well."

As Toph withdrew into her quarters for the night, Katara made one final pass around the apartment and extinguished the few remaining candles that still burned. On the way to her bedroom, she stopped when she passed by Aang's door and recalled his earlier outburst about Appa – so she assumed. It was obvious that he had wanted to be left alone, but as she stood silently at the doorway, she remembered something that Toph had said to her earlier out by the lake; how she had a way of helping people feel better. With this thought in mind, Katara felt that it was at least worth a try.

"Aang?" she asked softly through the door, tapping it lightly. "Aang, are you okay?"

Katara waited quietly for an answer, but none came.

"Aang?" she repeated, leaning closer and resting her hand up against the door.

She again listened for a reply, but her optimism began to fade with each passing second as nothing but the dismal silence filled the void. It was possible that Aang was already asleep, but she had a distinct feeling that he wasn't, which made the silence all the more disheartening. When what could've easily been a full minute had crept by, Katara lowered her head and sank her hand down the door, then slowly pulled it back and turned away. After a couple of steps, she stopped momentarily and turned her head back towards the door, quietly saying goodnight before continuing on and disappearing into her room.

As she slipped into bed and settled comfortably under the covers, sleep didn't come quite as difficultly for the Water Tribe girl as she had initially feared it would. Despite the genuine concern she felt for Aang and for whatever was going on inside the boy's head, her thoughts kept teetering back to a certain female earthbender, and to the unforgettable time that they'd spent together over the last couple of days. Katara closed her eyes and she let out a deep breath, her mind brimming with those pleasant images, and was soon fast asleep.

- - - - - - - - - -

Shortly After Midnight

The thick blanket of clouds that had been moving in all evening had begun to swell and was now looming ominously over the city. They continued to grow throughout the night, towering high over the Earth Kingdom capital until they could no longer hold back the precipitation accumulating within.

As the rain fell, Toph was gradually awakened from her peaceful slumber by the light pitter-patter of raindrops that touched down all around. When she came to, she extended her hand and pressed her fingertips firmly against ground, taking in every vibration from every raindrop that resonated through the earth. She truly loved it when it rained. The constant, rhythmic tapping seemed to literally light up her surroundings, making it as if she could see everything around her all at once. Although that vision would eventually start to blur as the rainfall softened and muddied the ground, for those first few minutes, the sensation was indescribable.

She rolled over onto her other side and curled up contently under her blankets, enjoying the soothing sounds that the rain provided as they slowly lulled her back to sleep. But then, without warning, she was suddenly thrown back into reality by a loud, booming thunderclap that rumbled violently through the skies. As the thunder roared, the blind girl let out a startled shriek and sat straight up in her bed, her heart racing and every part of her mind now on full alert.

Toph always liked the rain, but thunderstorms were a different matter entirely. The thunder was like an enormous explosion high overhead, echoing through the heavens and even rattling the earth beneath her feet, but having no apparent source or cause. She knew that it was just noise and that the thunder couldn't actually hurt her, but that didn't make it any less unsettling. It seemed to come from nowhere, but sounded as if it was coming from everywhere.

The young earthbender closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Calm down, Toph. It's alright," she said to herself, trying to ease her nerves. "It's just thunder, it can't-"

Before Toph could finish her notion, she yelped in surprise and jumped in near terror as another deafening thunderclap erupted from the sky, shaking the very ground the girl sat on as if someone had taken a giant hammer and smashed it into the earth.

"To heck with this!" she exclaimed, scurrying out of bed.

As Toph emerged from her room, Momo – who lay balled up on a soft cushion in the corner – further raised his already alerted ears and lifted his head from his pillow, purring curiously at the blind girl. Hearing this, she quickly turned and shushed the lemur, whispering at him to be quiet before easing her door shut and making her way over to Katara's room. She was about to make her way inside, but suddenly tensed under the sound of another ferocious wave of thunder. She then stood silently before proceeding, feeling to see if anyone else was awake.

To her amazement, no one else seemed to have been troubled or frightened by the raging storm. Toph felt a mild twinge of embarrassment due to this, but shrugged it off. She wasn't afraid either, the loud thunder was just a little unsettling and made her feel…uncomfortable; at least, that's what her story would be.

Pressing on, Toph entered Katara's room and quietly shut the door behind her, careful not to make any noise. She slowly walked over to where the waterbender slept, immersed in her dreams, and knelt down beside the older girl, scarcely believing she could sleep so peacefully in this kind of weather. She then carefully took hold of the soft blankets, easing them aside before slipping into the covers and comfortably curling up with her back against the Water Tribe girl, gently wrapping herself in her arms.

Katara was slowly roused from her slumber as she felt an unknown presence settle in before her, but soon recognized the scent and feel of the long dark hair that brushed lightly against her chin.

"Mmm…Toph?" she asked sleepily, her eyes still closed and only just conscious of reality.

"I don't like the thunder," Toph said simply, her words followed by a rumbling in the distance as if to justify her claim.

Katara sighed contently and tightened her embrace on the earthbender as she pulled the covers around them, nestling herself snugly in the older girl's arms. Katara planted a soft kiss on the younger girl's head and was soon sound asleep, but Toph lie awake a short while longer, listening once more to the rhythmic sounds of the rain and feeling the soothing breath and warmth of the other girl next to her. She smiled softly to herself and closed her eyes, and soon joined the Water Tribe girl in dreamland.

Meanwhile, Aang lie motionless on his sleeping pallet and stared up at the ceiling, entranced in thought as the storm continued on. However, it was not the storm that had woken the boy, as he had in fact not yet even fallen asleep. It was his mind that kept him awake all evening, his own thoughts and emotions that swirled more chaotically than the wind and the clouds that churned high overhead. The young Avatar couldn't shake the images of what he'd seen out on the hills before sundown, and coupled with the pain and anger he felt over Appa's capture, everything in his world seemed to be spiraling out of control.

First he had lost Appa, and regardless of all his efforts, he felt no closer to finding his furry companion. Now it felt like Katara was slipping away from him as well. How? Why was this happening to him? What had caused all of this? He simply couldn't understand, but as the memories continued to flash through the boy's mind, he soon became aware of one thing that seemed to keep rearing it's head; one constant that appeared in each instance and stood out among the hectic recess of his mind.

Toph.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Avatar: The Last Airbender_**

**You're Beautiful**

Author: Xgamerkf

Genre: Drama/Romance

Pairing: Katara/Toph

Rating: Teen – Scenes of Sensuality

Disclaimer: "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and its corresponding characters, locations, and trademarks are the properties of Nickelodeon. All rights reserved.

Author Comments: Insert apologetic "slow update" comment here. This was a surprisingly difficult chapter to write for more than a couple of reasons, but I think it turned out pretty well. Thank you all once again for your patients and reviews. I'm glad you're all enjoying it, and that you actually think it's worth whatever wait you end up having to endure; but enough waiting for now. Here's Chapter 6, my birthday gift to you! Enjoy!

**Chapter 6: Just A Dream**

_"Appa!"_

_Aang smiled joyfully at the sight of his fuzzy companion and sprang forward, running to meet the large beast that lay sprawled out in the grassy field. He leaned against Appa's head with his arms spread wide in what equated to warm hug, feeling the gentle hum that resonated from the flying bison as he roared happily. Appa raised his head and pushed forward, knocking Aang on his back and causing him to giggle cheerfully as he was licked from head-to-toe by the large animal in a show of affection._

_Aang closed his eyes as the sound of his joyous laughter echoed around him. Then, his mind's eye blinked and he was suddenly surrounded in darkness. He sat quiet and puzzled in the nothingness, looking around and listening for any sign of…anything. There was no sound, no light or movement, no sense of space or time. It was an almost eerie stillness, but at the same time, strangely soothing…tranquil; like a calm sleep on a peaceful night._

_Without warning, a sudden wisp of cool air rushed over him and he felt something cold and icy at his back, bringing him to consciousness. He opened his eyes and blinked as his vision gradually came into focus, and he was greeted by the sight of Katara standing over him, looking down at him with her beautiful blue eyes and gentle face. As he looked back up at her, she smiled kindly, and the cold sensation that surrounded him seemed to vanish almost as quickly as it came._

_After a brief moment, the image of Katara slowly began to fade away and was replaced by a soft sea of white. Aang drifted in silence and confusion as he had before, listening. This time, however, he was rewarded with the sound of a quiet voice coming from the void. He couldn't make out what it was saying, though. The voice sounded clear enough, but was far too soft to hear plainly, as if it was originating from a great distance away._

_The Avatar listened again as the voice repeated. It was louder and more distinct than before, but her words were still somehow indiscernible. It was hard to…wait, her words? Yes, it was definitely a woman's voice that he heard, an old woman from the sound of it. In fact, it seemed strangely familiar as well, but he couldn't remember how._

_Aang pondered this for a moment, and when he blinked, his eyes reopened to the sight of a small, dimly lit room. There was a small fire and bone fragments scattered out on the floor in front of him, and his heart felt strange…heavy, as if having received some depressing news. There was a brief pause before the voice – which belonged to the old woman that was sitting opposite the fire – spoke again, her words now as clear as crystal._

_"Oh look!" The woman said, sounding as if she'd made a mistake, "I must have missed something." She reached down and picked a sliver of bone up off the floor, examining it closely before continuing. "Right here, it says, 'trust in your heart and you will be with the one you love.'"_

_"Really?!" Aang exclaimed, overjoyed at the old woman's words. He quickly rose to his feet and clasped his hands together, smiling widely. "Thanks, Aunt Wu!"_

_The Avatar's spirits were as light as air as he turned to leave, quickly disappearing through the doorway and into another shroud of darkness. As he looked around, soft images slowly began appearing all around him in the emptiness. Images of Appa, and of Katara; of times they'd spent together. He knew them all instantly as fond memories, and he smiled happily at each one as they passed by like clouds drifting through the sky. After a moment, the visions began to fade and vanish back into the blackness, save for one that remained off in the distance, appearing to flicker slightly in the dark like the light from a torch._

_The image gradually began to move closer, and he soon realized that he was no longer floating in the void, but was instead walking on what seemed like solid earth. He glanced around at the environment as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, allowing his gaze to fall upon the inner rock walls of what appeared to be a tunnel or cave. As he continued down the path, the faint source of light grew closer, but didn't look as if it was getting any brighter. In fact, it seemed like it was beginning to go out. He looked on and saw two people standing on either side of the torch, immediately recognizing the figures as himself and Katara. As the torchlight grew dimmer, he smiled at the memory replaying in front of him, and his heart swelled with happiness as the two figures closed the distance between them._

_Aang lowered his head momentarily and wiped away a small tear. When he looked back up, however, confusion swept over him as the phantom of himself vanished before his eyes and was replaced by the image of none other than Toph, who continued where his dream self had left off. When the girls' lips touched, he felt his spirits sink and a different kind of tear form in his eyes._

_No, this wasn't right. This wasn't supposed to be happening. It was supposed to be him; it was supposed to be him kissing Katara; him, not Toph. This isn't what was supposed to be happening… Nevertheless, despite how much he tried to deny it, it was. And as he stood motionless, frozen in his despair, he knew there was nothing he could do about it._

_When the kiss broke, Aang saw a devious smile spread across the young earthbender's lips as she steadily raised her arm up towards him. Katara then looked at the boy with an impish grin, lifting her hand and playfully waving her fingers at him. A soft giggle echoed through the cave, and he could do nothing but watch as Toph clenched her hand into a fist and then reopened it in the blink of an eye. With a low rumble, the earth suddenly opened up underneath the Avatar's feet, and before he could contemplate what was going on, he found himself falling; falling helplessly through an infinite abyss._

_He cried out in panic and closed his eyes, flailing his arms and grasping blindly at the nothingness as he fell. His hands soon found a lifeline in the dark and he wrapped his fingers around it tightly, holding on for dear life even as he continued to fall. The young airbender came to a jarring halt moments later, finally crashing down to the bottom of whatever chasm he had fallen into. He winced in pain as he struggled to open his eyes, his entire body throbbing from the violent force of the impact._

_Aang groaned as he slowly rose to his feet and looked around. Confusion washed over him again as he observed the environment, consisting of a grassy meadow surrounded by lush green trees and a flowing stream. It was a stark contrast to the dark, dank cave that he was just in. When he realized where he was, he heard Toph's stern voice speak up from behind him._

_"If there's anyone to blame, it's sheddy over here!" she said accusingly._

_Aang turned and stared at Toph as she made her way over to Appa, who was laid out exhausted on the ground nearby. "You're blaming Appa?!"_

_"Yeah! I am! You want to know how those girls keep finding us?" Toph reached out and grabbed a clump of fur from Appa's side, then let it drift away in the breeze. "He's leaving a trail everywhere we go! I say we ditch him and continue on ourselves. They can't follow us if this stupid beast isn't around to leave a trail."_

_The young Avatar felt his temper flare, and in the blink of an eye he found himself and the others all standing in the middle of a desert, surrounded in an endless sea of sand…everyone except for Appa. Aang looked around in desperation, but when he couldn't find the bison anywhere he fixated is gaze back on Toph, glaring at her intently._

_"Where's Appa?!" Aang asked angrily. "What did you do with him?!"_

_"I didn't do anything!" Toph protested. "It was those sandbenders, they took him!"_

_"How could you just let them take Appa?! Why didn't you stop them?!"_

_"I couldn't! They snuck up on me!" the earthbender explained. "The library was sinking. You guys were still inside and-"_

_"Liar!" Aang spat furiously, cutting off the blind girl. "You just didn't care! You never liked Appa! You wanted him gone!"_

_"Aang, stop it," Katara interjected, coming to Toph's defense and placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Toph did everything she could. She saved our lives."_

_Tears formed in Aang's eyes and trickled down his cheeks in grief and anger over the loss of Appa. At the same time, a feeling of puzzlement tugged on his mind from Katara's words, from the fact that she was defending the young earthbender. Why? It was Toph's fault; surely she could see that. How could Katara support her when she was the reason Appa was gone? How?_

_Aang turned away and took off on his glider, his mind filled with rage. As the wind carried him, he starred out over the horizon at the sun slowly setting behind the hills. He fought back his tears, but the airbender couldn't shake the hatred that he felt lingering in his heart. It was because of Toph that Appa was gone, and for all he knew he may never see him again…and Katara defended her._

_Katara…_

_The Avatar flew on, tortured relentlessly by his memories. He blinked away a small tear in his eyes, and when they reopened he was suddenly standing on solid ground, staring at a lone tree where the figures of Katara and Toph sat together before him. He could see them as clear as day, but they didn't seem to have noticed him at all, appearing to be looking straight through him. He looked on as the girls' gently rested their heads against one another, and then turned and slowly leaned in for a kiss._

_Aang turned away and closed his eyes, refusing to watch, refusing believe that this was happening. But he could still see it; he could still see them as their lips pressed lightly together. He raised his hands to his head and shook it violently in an attempt to break the thought, but it remained. He opened his eyes…and there they were. He looked away…there they were. His efforts were futile. No matter where he looked, up, down, left, right, eyes open or closed, he could still see them. The image haunted and tormented his mind, and he couldn't escape it._

_He finally collapsed to his knees and cried out in agony, and the sound of laughter then began to resonate all around him. He grabbed his head in a vain attempt to suppress the noise. As the sounds grew louder and louder, ghost-images of Toph gradually faded into the boy's mind, her mouth agape, laughing and cackling at him like a madman._

_"It's all your fault," Aang said under his breath. "You took Appa from me…you took Katara from me…" He paused, but the laughter persisted. "I want them back…"_

_The laughter continued, and Aang closed his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth._

_"Go away…"_

_The laughter echoed continuously, growing louder than before. It filled the Avatar's mind until he could take it no more, finally pushing him over the edge. He lost control, and his eyes shot opened as they began to glow._

_"GO AWAY!" he cried at the heavens, the earth erupting all round him._

- - - - - - - - - -

Aang awoke with a fright and quickly sat up in his bed matting, his breathing heavy and his body damp with sweat. He looked around frantically before realizing that he was back in his room, and then closed his eyes and slumped over, resting his head in his hands. All those sights and sounds, the emotions; they all felt so strong, so intense…so real. The airbender sighed heavily as he tried to quiet his mind, repeating to himself over and over that it had all just been a dream.

He lifted his head and looked outside to see a clear blue sky, and the sun beaming back in through the window. He must have slept away about half the morning by now, much later than what he usually slept. As the boy began to crawl out of bed, he heard cheerful laughter coming from elsewhere in the apartment, indicating that the others were still home. He finished getting out of bed and got dressed, then made his way to the door.

When Aang emerged from his room, he looked over to the living area of the apartment where Sokka was seated cross-legged at the table with Momo perched up on his shoulder. Toph sat across from him, with Katara settling in next to her and placing a handful of card-tiles on the table. He couldn't help but frown slightly at the sight.

"This isn't going to work," Sokka said, picking up a few of the small tablets. "How's she going to know what's on the cards if she can't see them?"

"He's got a point," the blind girl remarked.

"Hog monkeys," Katara scoffed dismissively. "It'll be easy. Here, I'll show you."

She reached out and grabbed a couple of the tablets with one hand and took a hold of Toph's hand with the other. She then guided the younger girl's hand to the cards, gently brushing her fingertips over them and allowing her to feel the grooves and textures imprinted on their faces.

"Feel those?" Katara asked with a smile.

"Y-yeah," Toph nodded, suppressing a slight blush.

"The symbols engraved on each tile tell you what that card is. So, all you have to do is run your fingers over the symbols and you'll know which cards you have."

"Oh, I get it! Just like the other night when I felt your-ouch!"

Toph yelped as she felt a sharp pinch on her arm, interrupting her comment. Without missing a beat, she pushed her free hand down by her side and against the floor, earthbending a small block up from under the spot where the older girl was seated. Katara shrieked in surprise as the mass of earth struck her from below, pushing her off balance and knocking her on her side.

Sokka looked on and smirked in knowing amusement as the scene unfolded, but cocked an eyebrow at Toph's last statement and his sister's urgency to cut it short. If what Aang had told him about them last night was, in fact, true, he understood why Katara might want to interrupt the younger girl's story. Although exactly _what_ was being interrupted, he wasn't so sure he wanted to know… Who was he kidding? Of course he did.

The waterbender sat back upright and rubbed her bottom, scowling at both the slight soreness and in annoyance towards Toph. So much for her attempt at subtly. If she didn't know better, she might have thought her friend was _trying_ to spill the beans about them. Katara was just about to give a retaliatory remark, but paused when she saw Aang standing out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh, good morning, Aang!" she said cheerfully, her greeting followed shortly by the other two.

"Good morning," he replied dully, as the Water Tribe girl repositioned herself next to Toph.

"Hey, look what I did with Toph's hair!" she beamed, resting her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. "Doesn't she look cute?"

Aang looked over at the blind girl, only now actually noticing how different her hairstyle really was. Unlike the large bun that it was usually done up in, her hair was now pulled back by her headband and tied up into a ponytail, save for two strands coming down over either side of the girl's face that were worn similarly to Katara's hair-loops. Any other time he might have honestly agreed with Katara's compliment, but under the circumstances it only served to remind him of the one thing he wanted to forget.

"What are you guys doing?" Aang asked.

"We're teaching Toph how to play Pei Gou," Sokka answered over his shoulder. "You want to play?"

"No thanks, I'm just going to go take a walk for a while. I need to clear my head."

"Okay. See you later, Aang," the warrior bid casually.

Katara and Toph followed suit, voicing their goodbyes as well before they all returned to their game. The young Avatar then turned to leave, grabbing his staff leaning against the wall as he made his way out of the apartment.

As Aang traversed the city streets, the memories and images from his nightmare began to replay in his mind, refusing to grant him any sort of peace. He hated everything that was happening, he hated the way it made him feel inside; it even scared him a little. Nothing he did could help to ease his mind, and the longer the thoughts persisted, the more his animosity grew. If it weren't for her, Appa would still be with them. If it weren't for her, Katara would still be his.

They seemed lost to him now, and it was all Toph's fault. He had to do something; he had to make it stop…somehow.

Aang lowered his head and sighed. "What am I going to do?"

- - - - - - - - - -

A Few Hours Later

Sokka stared critically at the lone tile left in his hand, passing a quick glance at the dark haired girl seated across from him and the single tile that remained in her hand as well. He was so close, just one more match. If Toph had the same card he did, he wins.

"Do you have an Air-Water?" he asked, closing his eyes and crossing his fingers.

Toph ran her thumb over the small tablet I her hand, checking the signs. She felt for the primary suit first – the symbol in the upper-right corner of the card, and then for the secondary suit etched into the center as Katara had instructed her. She smiled. No match.

"Nope!" she replied, grinning widely.

The Water Tribe boy grumbled in frustration, reaching his free hand out to the draw pile on the table. He had another chance here, at least, and he prayed to the spirits in hopes of drawing a match. He closed his eyes, chanting the suits of the card in his hand as he picked up the tile. He paused for a second before opening his eyes and looking at the tablet, then slumping his shoulders. Earth-Water…curses.

Sokka sighed. "Your turn."

"Okay, Sokka. Earth-Water."

"Nooo!" the young warrior howled, slouching forward and tossing the matching card across the table.

"Haha!" Toph laughed, smirking smugly. "Sounds like I win again!"

"Whoo! Go Toph!" Katara cheered, embracing the younger girl in a brief hug. "That's three in a row!"

Sokka rolled his eyes and twirled a finger around in the air, mocking his sister's congratulatory praise. Once, he thought, just once he'd like to win a game of Pei Gou against somebody, but no. He could never beat Katara, he couldn't beat Aang, and now it seems he can't beat Toph, either. He could swear that Lady Luck had some sort of vendetta against him, but he couldn't at all think why. He hadn't broken any mirrors that he could think of, and he had no memory of a black catdog ever crossing his path; not that he believed in any of those silly superstitions… Maybe he'd spilt some salt…

While Sokka mulled over his thoughts, Katara began collecting the playing tiles together on the table, also having to retrieve the one from Momo that he'd gotten a hold of and started gnawing at. After she set the cards aside, a soft click attracted the group's attention, and they all glanced over to the apartment door as it eased open and Aang walked in.

"Welcome back, Aang," Toph said sincerely, taking a nut from a nearby bowl. "Come over here and take Sokka's seat. I feel like kicking your butt."

The Avatar paid her no attention, lowering his head wearily as he began to speak. "Guys, I've got something to say. It's something I've been thinking about a lot lately, and I've come to a conclusion…"

"What is it, Aang?" Katara asked kindly, all three of them listening in genuine interest.

Aang looked up at his friends slowly, his face expressionless. "I think it's time Toph returned home."

In unison, the group's eyes widened in complete shock, thoroughly stunned by the boy's statement. "_What_?!"


	7. Chapter 7

**_Avatar: The Last Airbender_**

**You're Beautiful**

Author: Xgamerkf

Genre: Drama/Romance

Pairing: Katara/Toph

Rating: Teen – Scenes of Sensuality

Disclaimer: "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and its corresponding characters, locations, and trademarks are the properties of Nickelodeon. All rights reserved.

Author Comments: Thanks to everyone for commenting and reviewing my story. I had more reviews for the last chapter alone than a couple of the previous ones combined. It's nice to see so many people interested in this story and the positive response from everyone, I just wish I could have gotten more done over this amount of time.

This was a difficult chapter to write for various reasons. I had intended for it to be a lot longer than it turned out, but things didn't work out that way. Hopefully the phrase "quality over quantity" will apply here. In any case, the next installment is finally here. Enjoy!

**Chapter 7: Broken Hearts**

"_What_?!"

"Aang, what…what are you talking about?" Katara asked, her and the others' shock and confusion apparent. "Why?"

The young Avatar stood for a moment and looked back at his companions, gathering his thoughts. He was expecting the others to react like this. In fact, under different circumstances he could honestly say that he would probably be reacting the same way. That just wasn't the case now.

Aang knew that he couldn't tell them his real motives for wanting Toph to return home. He had to come up with something that sounded sensible, something that wouldn't leave his friends – wouldn't leave Katara – feeling nothing but contempt for him. He knew they wouldn't be very keen on the idea, regardless of what he said, but he had to try and convince them; make them see that it was the right thing to do. The last couple of hours had given the boy plenty of time to think, he just hoped his reasoning would be good enough.

"Well, it's just that she's been away from home for long time now," Aang began. "There's no doubt that her parents are worried sick about her, especially considering we didn't exactly have their permission to take her with us. But I'm sure Toph misses them, too. She's probably a little homesick after all this time."

Sokka and Katara each traded odd glances before looking back at the airbender with bewildered looks occupying their faces.

"Aang, you can't be serious," Sokka said.

"Don't you remember how her parents were?" Katara added. "They never let her do anything. No one even knew she existed. You can't just make her go back to that."

"It's the best thing for her," the Avatar explained. "What do you think happens after we meet the Earth King and tell him about the eclipse? Before long, we're going to be invading the Fire Nation. That's not what she signed up for when she came with us, and we can't ask it of her now, it's too dangerous." He paused a moment to let his position sink in before continuing. "The whole reason Toph came with us in the first place was to teach me earthbending, and she's done that. We don't need her anymore."

"What do you mean 'we don't _need_ her anymore'?" Katara demanded, unconsciously reaffirming her grip on the younger girl's shoulder as a feeling of worry sparked within her.

She didn't understand what was going on. The group had finally started to become close with their newest addition over the last month or so, Aang included. Things were a little rocky at first, but they'd all soon grown accustomed to her little personality quirks – and her to theirs – and now really enjoyed having the young earthbender around. In that short amount of time, Toph had become a very important member of their family…especially in the mind of a certain Water Tribe girl. Now, all of a sudden, it seemed as though Aang didn't even want her around anymore. It didn't make any sense.

"What's gotten into you, Aang?" she continued. "This isn't like you."

"No, look, that's not what I meant. I just… She's done what she came with us to do. There's no reason for her to stay with us and risk her safety anymore. I've already mastered earthbending. There's nothing more for her to-"

"Hahahahaha!" Toph burst out suddenly in a fit of laughter, startling the others and earning fairly confused looks from the Water Tribe siblings as she was unable to restrain herself any further.

After her initial reaction, Toph had stayed quiet and listened while the others talked, waiting to see where things went. It warmed her heart to hear both Katara and Sokka sticking up for her, but the sheer absurdness of Aang's explanation was laughable. Her parents missed her? Yeah…missed having their helpless little pet around, maybe. Homesick? Hardly. As far as she was concerned at this point, she'd be happy never setting foot in that town again. What really got her was Aang's last comment, though. Talk about ridiculous.

"What's so funny?" Aang responded, narrowing his gaze at the blind girl.

"You think," she laughed, "you think you've mastered earthbending? What's it been, a little over month? Maybe two?" Toph paused, chuckling lightly at the thought. "Either I'm a better teacher than I thought I was, or you're more arrogant than those oversized oafs from the Earth Rumble tournaments."

"Me?" the airbender protested, growing a little frustrated. "If anyone around here's arrogant, it's you."

"Oh really? I'm not the one claiming to have mastered earthbending after only a month of training."

"Well _I_ don't parade around declaring myself 'The World's Greatest Earthbender' just because I won some stupid tournament. Especially when it was against a bunch of 'oversized oafs,' as you put it."

"Two problems with your claim, Airhead: One. True as it may be, I have never once said that. The fact that I've been the Earth Rumble Champion three years running says it for me," she boasted, half jokingly, but also in actual pride of her own accomplishments. "Two. Regardless of how dimwitted they are, those oafs are still known as some of the best earthbenders in the world. You wouldn't stand a chance against them in a straight up fight."

"I beat _you_, didn't I?" the Avatar said smugly.

The young earthbender simply crossed her arms and replied, "No."

"Wait…yes he did," Sokka interjected. "Granted, he used airbending to knock you out of the ring, but that was the whole idea. The dude even awarded us with that belt and prize money. So, technically, Aang won."

"'Technically,' Aang cheated," Toph corrected. "The Earth Rumble is an earthbending tournament, meaning the only thing allowed is earthbending. Since Aang used airbending, he cheated, so our match didn't count. And the way I remember it, he didn't even know the first thing about earthbending then."

"Oh, yeah. Good point."

"Fine. You're right," Aang conceded reluctantly, keeping his voice calm and trying to remain patient. "I didn't know anything about earthbending then, but I do now. That's the point. You've helped me master earthbending. I don't need your training anymore."

"That's not your decision to make!" Toph retorted, rapidly becoming fed up with the airbender's brazen disrespect. She quickly rose to her feet and made her way over to him, stopping only a foot away. "I'm the teacher, you're the student. _I_ decide when your training is finished. _Not you_!"

The young earthbender stressed her last two words by pressing a finger forcefully against the Avatar's chest as she spoke them, nearly causing him to lose his balance. As Toph turned and walked back to the others, Aang tried desperately to think of something to say in response…but nothing came. When she returned to her place, he saw Katara stand and place her hands on the younger girl's shoulders as she turned around so that they were both facing him.

"She's right, Aang," Katara said in a kind, but firm manner. "I know these things tend to come more naturally for you, being the Avatar, but you can't get ahead of yourself. Toph has been earthbending her entire life, it's _part_ of her life. I would think that she, of all people, would know whether you still need training or not."

"I'll-I'll prove it!" the boy insisted. "I'll prove I've mastered earthbending!"

"Aang-"

"I'll prove it…"

"Is that so?" Toph asked, crossing her arms. "How?"

Aang hesitated in giving an answer, essentially because he didn't have one. He had only made that notion in the first place out of sheer impulse and desperation. Only now did his mind fully start to comprehend what he had just said, and to be perfectly honest, he had no idea how.

"How about a contest?" Sokka suggested offhand.

"Sokka…" Katara groaned in mild irritation.

"Oh! Oh! I know!" he beamed in excitement. "You two could fight!"

"_Sokka_!" she shouted in alarm, chastising her older brother for his encouragement of the idea. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Toph tilted her head slightly and played with one of her hair loops as the two siblings bickered, considering the older boy's words. "Actually, that's not such a bad idea."

"Yeah…" Aang murmured, weighing the notion himself. His intention had never been for things to go this far, but it was obvious that he'd never be able to convince his friends of his position. What other choice was there? "Yeah, alright. Toph, I challenge you."

Katara froze, and passed quick glances back and forth between her two friends. "W-what? No…"

"When and where?" Toph asked.

"No, you…you can't!"

"Two hours. Just outside the inner wall, west of the city," the Avatar replied. "If I win, you concede to me being a master earthbender. Then, once we find Appa, we take you back home."

"You're on!" she exclaimed, gladly accepting the challenge.

"Awesome!" Sokka cheered. "An Earth Rumble rematch!"

Katara glared at him furiously. "Stop it, Sokka! You're not helping!"

"It's settled then," Aang said sternly before turning to leave. "Get ready to lose, Toph."

"That's _Sifu_-Toph to you, Twinkle-Toes," she replied.

Ignoring the young earthbender's snide remark, Aang continued on towards the apartment exit with his staff in hand. As the door swung open, Katara followed after him and made her way to the door, pleading repeatedly for the boy to wait. When the door clicked shut, the Water Tribe girl turned back around and shot Sokka a fierce gaze, her eyes glazed over with anger.

"Go after him," she ordered.

"What? Why me?" he asked defensively.

"Be quiet, Sokka! It's your fault for suggesting this stupid fight to begin with! Now, I'm not going to tell you again. Go…after…him, and talk him out of this."

"But-"

"NOW!"

"Right!"

Without another moment's hesitation – and a terrified Momo clinging tightly to his warrior's wolf tail – the Water Tribe boy leapt into action and quickly left the apartment in pursuit of the Avatar, knowing better than to tempt his sister's wrath. When he made it outside, he looked around briefly and called out for Aang, but the boy was nowhere to be found having taken off on his glider. After a moment, Momo flew up off of Sokka's head a good fifty feet into the air before he stopped and peered around.

When the lemur spotted something off in the distance, he looked down at the warrior below and pointed off in its direction, to the west. Remembering that was where the fight was to take place, Sokka took off in that direction to follow after the airbender. There was almost no chance of actually catching him, of course, but anything was better than having to go back into the house to face Katara.

As he traversed the city streets, Sokka began to think back on everything that just occurred. His own actions replayed themselves in his mind, and looking at it now, the only thing the young warrior wanted to do was kick himself. The suggestion of a fight – a casual notion that, in hindsight, probably wasn't the best idea – was one thing, but outright cheering it on while Katara was trying to keep control of the situation had been completely out of line.

The only thing on Sokka's mind at the time had been the thought of using the situation for his own amusement, much like how he'd used Katara and Toph's secret to tease them during dinner last night. He hadn't really expected them to run with the idea, and he certainly didn't think it would be such big deal. At the same time, he also couldn't believe how he could have been so absent minded. Katara was right. Things had gotten out of hand because of him, and he had to do what he could to try and fix it.

- - - - - - - - - -

Toph sat and listened while Katara walked aimlessly around the floor of the group's apartment in a trance, her mind stressed almost to its limits. She was upset, confused and angry…scared. Unconscious of time, minutes passed like seconds, and all of a sudden more than half an hour had gone by with the waterbender absorbed in thought as she paced the foyer, trying to figure out what could have happened with Aang to cause all of this.

Last night, when Katara asked him what was wrong, Aang had said that he was upset about having still been unable to find Appa. That was enough explanation for his outburst then, but she didn't understand what that had to do with Toph; with this sudden belief that she wasn't needed anymore and that she should return home. The reasons he'd given earlier about being worried for her safety could account for that to some degree, but there was no connection between that sentiment and Appa. Not to mention how his willingness to fight the young earthbender conflicted greatly with his previously voiced concern.

It didn't add up. Nothing made sense.

Toph at last broke the silence. "Katara…" she said softly, wary of her friend's emotional state.

"Why are you doing this?" Katara asked.

"Katara, relax. I'll be alright," the younger girl assured. "I'm not going to get hurt."

"You getting hurt isn't what I'm worried about."

"What? Aang? Oh, he'll be fine. The only thing of his that's going to get hurt is his pride."

"That's not the point!"

Katara abruptly turned aside and lowered her head as she rested her hands on the back of her neck, sighing as she tried to quiet her restless nerves. Her mind began to wander, searching for something, anything at all that she could do to prevent the coming battle. It wasn't long before the waterbender began to doubt if she would be able to.

Why had Toph agreed to this fight? For that matter, why did she agree to Aang's outrageous terms? Admittedly, Katara could see the logic behind wanting to teach Aang a little humility for how he'd been acting, but to take it to such extremes was pointless. There was nothing to be gained from them fighting each other, regardless of who won.

Katara sighed. How could she possibly hope to talk Toph out of this? The girl was so stubborn and strong willed; one of the things that the Water Tribe girl both loved and hated about her.

Right now she hated it.

The young waterbender took a deep breath to regain her composure and slowly made her way back to the living area, standing near the table across from Toph. She sat a moment and closed her eyes, taking the opportunity to collecting her thoughts.

"I can't let you do this, Toph," she said plainly.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Toph replied dismissively.

"But it is a big deal. Aang's the Avatar, remember?"

"So?"

"'So'?" Katara asked, puzzled by the girl's casual tone. "He's the _Avatar_, one of the most powerful benders in the world."

"Yeah, yeah," the younger girl scoffed. "The Avatar: bridge between worlds, master of the elements and all that. _So what_? The only advantage that being the Avatar gives Aang is the ability to bend all four elements. It has nothing to do with how good an _earthbender_ he his, which is all that matters here."

"I know, you're right, but…there's something about him." Katara hesitated momentarily as her mind recalled some of her earlier experiences with Aang, how effortlessly he could learn and how powerful he could become in so little time. "When I first tried to train Aang, he was able to do things right away that had taken me weeks to learn, things that I still _couldn't_ do, like the water-whip. I don't know what it is, but something about him being the Avatar just…it makes him stronger somehow, stronger than you'd think he could be." She paused again, refocusing her thoughts. "It's just…I can't believe that you're not at all nervous about fighting him."

The young earthbender chuckled lightly. "What, you don't think I can beat him?" she asked jokingly.

Toph waited briefly for her friend's response…but it never came. Katara simply turned her head away, too ashamed of what her answer was to even give it. In the silence, the once cheerful grin that occupied the blind girl's face began to fade with each passing moment, soon leaving nothing but a disheartened frown. It made no difference what the older girl's answer was now. Her silence was all the answer Toph needed.

"You don't think I can beat him…"

The Water Tribe girl quickly returned her attention to Toph, suddenly realizing what she'd just done; or, more accurately, hadn't done. "No, no, that's not what I said."

"You didn't say anything," the younger girl replied harshly. "I asked if you thought I could beat Aang and you just stood there."

"You don't understand…"

"No, _you_ don't understand! I care about you; I thought you cared about me, but even after everything that's happened you don't believe in me enough to support me. Well forget it, then. I'll do it without your support."

With that, Toph stood up and started off, making her way little by little to the apartment exit.

"Toph…" the waterbender pleaded, rising to her feet. "Toph, wait…please."

The young earthbender didn't respond, she merely continued in her slow stride across the room. Her shoulders were faintly slumped, softer and less rigid than normal, betraying the slight kink in the girl's usually confident demeanor. Something for which Katara knew that she was to blame.

Toph was right, she didn't believe that the younger girl could win, at least not enough. That's why she couldn't let her fight Aang. She knew that Toph was powerful; that she was strong…but so is Aang. And that's what really concerned her. It wasn't the fight itself, only the outcome. Katara wasn't worried about her friend's safety – she was more than capable enough to take care of herself, but if she lost…

"You don't understand," Katara continued. "I don't understand," she muttered under her breath.

The young earthbender didn't respond. As she walked, the question of why Toph was doing this persisted in Katara's mind. There had to be more than what she was admitting, but what? Could she be trying to…no, that couldn't be it. There was never any call for Toph to impress her, and she knew that…right? The waterbender had thought so, but now she wasn't so sure. If that was the case, though, maybe she could convince her otherwise.

"You don't have anything to prove to me, to anyone," she continued to explain. "Please, don't do this…"

Disregarding her friend's pleas, Toph remained unwavering in her intent as she approached the door. Her mind seemed set, as unyielding as the very earth she commanded. Katara felt almost helpless, as if there was nothing she could do to deter her, but she couldn't give up; she couldn't risk losing her. She had to try.

"Please!" Katara shouted, her eyes starting to water. "You don't have to do this for me!"

"I'm not doing it for you!" the young earthbender shot back, causing the older girl to flinch. Toph paused for a moment, exhaling as she collected herself before continuing. "I'm doing it because Aang needs to learn that being the Avatar doesn't automatically make him better than everyone else, and it doesn't give him the right to just go around deciding what's best for someone."

The Water Tribe girl stood in near disbelief at Toph's comment. So that was really it, then. That really was her whole reason for doing this. Did she even care if she won or lost; about what would happen? If nothing else, she must at least know how upsetting all of this was for Katara. Did she even care? Did her feelings matter to the younger girl at all?

"Alright, fine. Say you win and prove your point to Aang. Then what? Everything just goes back to normal, like nothing happened?"

"Basically…yeah."

"And if you lose?" the waterbender asked, angry and now on the brink of tears. "What happens then, huh? You go back home and I never see you again?!"

Toph paused at the open doorway upon hearing Katara's words, and then lowered her head as a depressed feeling flickered within her. There was never any doubt in the young girl's mind that she could beat Aang, but the mere fact that Katara didn't have faith in her was more than a little disheartening. What if Katara was right? What if she really _couldn't_ beat Aang? Would that mean…

Toph closed her eyes, halting that path of thinking from taking over her mind. No, she _would_ beat Aang. Only now, it seems, she had another reason to.

With her determination peaked, the young earthbender lifted her head and squared her shoulders. She then turned slightly and glanced back over her shoulder, and in a somber tone said, "I'm sorry, Katara."

Without another word, Toph left the apartment, letting the door latch softly behind her and leaving Katara alone in the silence.

"Fine!" she cried angrily. "Go then! See what I care!"

The Water Tribe girl closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, fighting back her tears. She suddenly reached down and picked up one of the small card tiles off the table, and then – crying out in anger – hurled it violently into the apartment door as hard as she could, shattering it in two. The young waterbender then swept her arm over the surface of the table, sending many of the remaining game pieces scattering across the floor as she vented her frustration.

Katara finally broke down, feeling utterly overwhelmed, and collapsed to her knees in tears.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Avatar: The Last Airbender_**

**You're Beautiful**

Author: Xgamerkf

Genre: Drama/Romance

Pairing: Katara/Toph

Rating: Teen – Scenes of Sensuality

Disclaimer: "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and its corresponding characters, locations, and trademarks are the properties of Nickelodeon. All rights reserved.

Author Comments: Thanks to everyone as always for the kind comments and reviews. They're always greatly appreciated, being my only real reward for the time and work that goes into this story. Speaking of which, here's the fruits of the last month's labor come to fruition – and the longest chapter yet! Enjoy Chapter 8, everyone, and keep the reviews coming!

**Chapter 8: "Rock on!"**

Sokka leaned back against the wall of the gate guardhouse, completely out of breath, while Momo scurried around next to him playing with a rock. He had been running through the streets of Ba Sing Se for almost two hours in vain pursuit of Aang and had only just now reached the inner wall, the towering barrier between the city itself and the vast open plains beyond, separating it and the outer wall. Needless to say the young warrior hadn't caught up with the airbender, although it wasn't as if he really expected to.

Aang's glider granted him a significant advantage when navigating terrain, allowing him to fly effortlessly over any obstacles in his path, much like what Appa did for the group before he was stolen. Sokka didn't have that luxury, a fact made evident by the sweat beading all over him and trickling down his body, soaking through his clothes. Not to mention the panting and heavy breathing that accompanied it.

After a couple of minutes, his breath began to return to him and he sat down against the building to rest, unconsciously watching the few pedestrians in the area shopping the even fewer stores as his mind wandered.

Did Katara and Toph really…? Sokka still somehow had a difficult time believing what Aang had told him about them last night. He toyed around with the idea a lot afterwards, having a little fun with the two girls with it last night and again this morning. Admittedly, he'd even had a few dreams he likely won't soon forget. Still, did they really feel that way about each other? The young warrior then began to wonder what he should make of Aang's other comments if it were true.

Granted, Sokka himself didn't particularly like the thought of Katara dating anyone – naturally feeling very protective of his little sister, and he would definitely be having a little talk with Toph about all of this at some point if it were true. But Aang…Aang had actually seemed upset by it, even angry; going so far as to say he thought the idea was gross. Combined with everything that happened back at the house and him wanting Toph to go back home, the implications of that statement certainly didn't look positive. It just didn't feel right to Sokka, though. The boy was the Avatar, after all.

The Water Tribe boy closed his eyes and rested his head on his shoulder to think. It wasn't particularly hot out, but he was still feeling a little overheated from running through the city, and all the thoughts running through his mind were giving him a headache. It was all but impossible to focus on anything for more than a few seconds.

"Ugh, forget it," he groaned, hitting his head back against the wall. There's no way he would be able to find Aang in time, so bothering to figure out what to say to him if he did was pointless. He doubted it would make any difference anyway. "I guess I'll just wait here for Toph and Katara to show up. They'll have to come this way to get outside the wall, so I can't miss them. You think I'll get an earful from Katara for not talking to Aang, Momo?"

Sokka briefly glanced around for the lemur, but couldn't see him anywhere. "Momo? Where'd you-?" He paused mid-sentence when he recognized someone walking down the street in his direction, scratching Momo behind the ears absentmindedly as the lemur perched on the girl's shoulder and her hair loops swayed back and forth in front of her face. "What the…? Toph?"

The earthbender halted her steps when the sound of her name entered her ear, bringing her back to reality. The whole way here she had been paying little attention to her surroundings – the people and the environment around her, to the extent that she had even bumped into a few people on the walkways, not noticing they were there until she'd already hit them. The girl's mind was distracted by what happened back at the apartment, by what Katara had said. Toph was still determined to win and put Aang back in his place, but her friend's lack of confidence in her still hurt.

Pushing her thoughts aside, Toph lifted her head and turned in the direction the voice had come from. "Oh, hey, Sokka," she said, feeling the older boy's footsteps through the earth as he approached.

"How did you…what are you doing here so soon?" Sokka asked, puzzled.

Toph cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean? I've been here about twenty minutes already. I've just been…wandering around a little." She paused a moment as a thought entered her mind, then continued hesitantly. "So…what did Aang say?"

"That's just it, I just got here myself. I haven't had a chance to talk to him." He shook his head slightly, refocusing his thoughts. "Twenty minutes? How…how did you get here first?"

"Err…I took the trams. What did you do, run all the way here from the apartment?"

All Sokka could do in response was let out a low groan as he slumped over, not believing how he could have forgotten about the city's tram systems. He had run all that time, all that distance; possibly even right passed a station or two… Talk about embarrassing.

Toph just laughed in wholehearted amusement. "Katara sure has you on a short leash, doesn't she?"

"I'm going to ignore that," he replied, straightening his posture and trying to maintain a dignified appearance. "Speaking of which, where is Katara, anyway?"

The young earthbender flinched slightly at her friend's query, unsure of how to answer. It wasn't a difficult or prodding question, but she knew Katara didn't want anyone finding out about them yet – a wish she would reluctantly honor, so she had to make sure that she chose her words carefully so as not to say too much. Of course, her uncertainty in giving an answer to such a simple question surely wasn't helping things much either.

"Oh, she's…uh…"

"She's not here, is she?" Sokka interrupted, though it was more a statement of fact than a question.

Toph sighed softly, feeling her shoulders slump a little involuntarily. "No…"

The Water Tribe boy stood in silence for a moment and thought to himself. Although the girl was doing her best to hide it, Sokka could tell that his sister's absence was having an effect on her. It made sense to him now why Toph was still here. She wasn't just wandering around the shops or killing time before meeting Aang and himself outside the wall. She was waiting for Katara, hoping she would be here.

She wasn't.

Sokka really began to believe now that what Aang had told him must be true. Under the circumstances, why else would Toph be so affected by the fact that Katara hadn't shown up? He knew that if he were going into something important like this, he would want the woman he loved to be there supporting him. For Toph to feel saddened about Katara not being here, probably the same way he would feel in her position, many of the pieces seemed to fall into place.

But then, why _wasn't_ Katara here? It had been made unmistakably clear to Sokka that she disapproved of this fight, but if his sister liked Toph the same way that Toph did her, then he would've expected her to have at least still been here. Then again, now that he thought about it, her absence wasn't quite as unbelievable as he originally thought.

While there may be more to it this time, the Water Tribe girl had mounted a similar protest to a situation like this before – when Aang had agreed to General Fong's plan to "help" him learn to trigger the Avatar State. Who knows, maybe Katara will show up this time as well, as she did then.

"She will be," Sokka said plainly, trying to reassure the dark-haired girl somewhat.

Toph narrowed her eyebrows slightly, puzzled by the older boy's seemingly confident manner. "What makes you say that?"

"I don't know. I've just got a feeling." There was a silence that lingered between them, and after a long few seconds, Sokka continued, "Well…if you're still doing this, I guess we should be heading on out to meet Aang pretty soon. It's about that time. I'm sure Katara will catch up with us."

"Yeah…" Toph murmured, sounding unconvinced. After a brief moment, she pushed her doubts aside for the time being and leveled her stance. "Alright, let's go."

As the two made their way to the city gates, Toph continued to ponder what Sokka had said. She wanted to believe Katara would come, and while she didn't understand how the Water Tribe boy could possibly know that, it felt like he was telling the truth. With what happened back at the house, though, she just didn't know.

- - - - - - - - - -

The Avatar sat quietly in the calmness of the open plain, his eyes closed and legs crossed butterfly-style, beneath the shade of a crude earth tent erected to shield himself from the gaze of the afternoon sun bearing down on his back. The sky was predominantly clear, save for a few light wisps of clouds that streaked high overhead, far beyond the limit of where the young airbender could safely fly. The only sounds were the gentle rustling coming from the small patches of grass that littered the otherwise barren countryside, and the soft whistling of the breeze as it swept across the landscape and around his offending structure.

Aang had spent the better part of the last two hours meditating, doing little more than trying to empty his mind and clear it of distraction. Not exactly an easy task, what with the swarm of emotions and memories that relentlessly flooded his thoughts. Anger, grief, fear, jealousy; every time he found himself able to suppress one, another memory would flash through his mind, rising to the forefront of his consciousness just long enough to disrupt his meditations and allow another to enter the void.

What he was doing was wrong. He knew it, and his mind wouldn't let him forget it. But what else could he do? Nothing that the boy could do right now would get Appa back, but if he wanted to keep Katara…if this was what it took, he had to try…he had to win her back. What other choice was there?

When Aang looked up he saw two figures – which he promptly recognized as Sokka and Toph, plus Momo sitting on Sokka's shoulder – heading in his direction at a leisurely pace. The first thing that he noticed was the fact that it was just the two of them; that Katara wasn't with them. His initial reaction was something of a satisfied feeling, as if something he may have said had made an impact on Katara after all, or perhaps something had happened between her and Toph themselves after he left. Although, he felt a little ashamed in hoping that was the case.

In all honesty, however, the young airbender wasn't quite sure what to make of it. For him, at least, he didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that Katara wasn't here. In any case, it was not something he could afford to worry about now. He had to stay focused.

Aang stood as his friends approached and made a swift motion with his arms, sending the two slabs of rock behind him receding back into the earth.

"So, you showed up after all, huh?" he said smugly, a sly grin tugging at his lips.

"That's funny, I was just about to say the same thing," Toph replied with a slight smirk.

"Where's Katara?"

"Oh, she's on her way," the earthbender sneered, not missing a beat in giving her response. "She just figured she'd pick up some extra healing supplies first. I guess she thought you might need them."

The pretentious look on Aang's face vanished, flustered slightly by the blind girl's snide remark. "We'll just see about that," he muttered.

Toph chuckled lightly, turning to her left and starting off in a confident stride. They hadn't even begun and already she could feel the doubt and apprehensiveness in Aang's mind, the slight fluctuations in his breathing and heart rate in reaction to her last comment. She hadn't delivered a single blow and his confidence already seemed to be wavering. And to think, he dared claim to be an earthbending master…what a joke. An amused grin spread across her lips at the thought – it might actually be fun teaching Aang a lesson for once.

The Avatar gritted his teeth and followed suit soon after, heading in the opposite direction. Seizing the opportunity, as it could likely be the last one he'd have, Sokka followed after the airbender as he walked. When they were out of what the Water Tribe boy hoped was earshot of Toph, he finally spoke up, albeit softly.

"Aang, listen to me," he started. "I don't know your reasons for all this, for wanting Toph to go back home, or why you seem so upset with her. I know I probably can't change your mind, but…just tell me one thing. Tell me this doesn't have to do with what you said last night."

Aang froze in his tracks, clearly affected by the older boy's words.

Sokka paused briefly before taking a few more steps forward and continuing, "Tell me this isn't all because they like each other."

The airbender stood motionless, not making a move. After a moment, he turned slightly to face the older boy with what looked like a cheerful smile covering his face.

"No, of course not," Aang said lightheartedly, his outward demeanor radically different than it was only seconds ago. "It's like I said before, I've mastered earthbending. You guys might not think so, but once I've proven that I have we can get back to finding Appa, then we can get Toph back home where she'll be safe and out of harms way."

Sokka looked on, puzzled, not quite sure of exactly how to take the comment. It sounded sincere enough, and Aang seemed to be acting like his usual self again, which was a little reassuring. At the same time, though, that was also the problem. He didn't want to jump to any conclusions, but compared to before, the younger boy's response seemed almost…too sincere…too normal. As if that made any sense at all…

No matter. Truth or lie, the airbender's mind was made up. There was nothing Sokka could do to change it, and he knew it. He just hoped the reason Aang was giving was really the truth.

"Cut the chatter, Twinkle-Toes!" came Toph's strong, shrill voice from the distance; some thirty or so paces away. "We doing this or what?!"

The Avatar clenched his fists in irritation. "I'm ready when you are," he replied.

"I hope you know what you're doing…" Sokka said to him nervously.

The young warrior then turned and trotted back to a spot between and out of the way of his two friends, with Momo still perched on his shoulder, facing the high afternoon sun. When the lemur hopped down to the ground, Sokka took one last look over his shoulder back at the city and scanned the scene for any sign of Katara, but there was nothing.

"You ready?" Toph asked, crossing her arms.

"Ready," Aang answered firmly, squaring up his shoulders and widening his stance.

Sokka returned his attention to the stretch of land that was soon to become a battlefield, and a small, sickly sensation began to stir up in the pit of his stomach. The teenage boy inside Sokka couldn't help but feel a little giddy in anticipation of the fight to come, but still he had a bad feeling about this.

As the seconds slowly ticked by, a long silence enveloped the surrounding environment as the two benders faced-off, neither one making a move. It was an eerie silence, like the calm before the first crash of thunder from a summer storm. It was coming, that much was certain. The only thing that remained…

"_Rock on_!" Toph exclaimed suddenly, shouting at the top of her lungs.

…was for it to strike.

Without delay, Aang took a single, rigid step forward and pounded his foot firmly into the ground, launching a large stone the size of his head up out of the earth in front of him. When it reached its peak height at the boy's shoulder level, he thrust his fist forward, sending the lump of rock spiraling towards Toph as fast as he could get it to go.

- - - - - - - - - -

One Hour Earlier

The tears had finally stopped flowing, but much of the pain and anger that had inhabited Water Tribe girl's heart still lingered.

Nearly half an hour had passed since Toph left the apartment, and for the first several minutes since then, Katara had been clinging to the hope that the younger girl would come to her senses and come back. That she would be there, standing in the doorway the next time she looked to the door. She clung to it still, to some degree. But somewhere after having lost count of the number of times, she'd stopped looking.

Katara got down on her knees and folded her legs back underneath her so that she sat on her feet. As her mind wandered, she reached around and started collecting the small stone card-tablets that she had strewn out across the floor. She picked up a lone tile lying next to her and examined it, idly running her thumb over the Earth symbol engraved in the center. Not surprisingly, the image of a certain person's smiling face was the first thing that entered her thoughts.

"Toph…" she sighed, staring blankly at the game piece in her hand before slipping it in with the rest. She lowered her head and closed her eyes, lost in thought.

Toph, that hardheaded fool… How Katara could have ever fallen for someone like her, she may never understand. The girl was always so proud and full of herself…

_Toph smiled happily as she blinked away the small tears forming in her eyes, but not before the Water Tribe girl could notice._

_"Okay. I think I'm ready to do this now," she said, before extending an arm out towards Katara. "Care to give me a hand, Sugar Queen?"_

_Katara gently took the younger girl's hand into her own and smiled. "Gladly."_

She was always so stubborn…

_"The Fancy Lady Day Spa?" the young earthbender complained in a dry, cynical tone. "Sounds like _my_ kind of place."_

_"Are you ready for some serious pampering?" Katara asked in genuine excitement._

_"Sure, Katara…whatever you say," Toph agreed reluctantly, obviously not sharing in the older girl's apparent enthusiasm. "As long as they don't touch my feet," she added quickly, before following the waterbender inside._

Rude…

_"I still can't believe you wanted to trip that girl after she helped us like that," Katara said. "She was really nice."_

_"To _you_," Toph retorted, crossing her arms. "She treated me like some lost pet that got off its leash."_

_"Well, you did kind of wander off on me there," Katara said jokingly. She paused for a moment as the thought entered her mind, and giggled softly. "Maybe I should get a little leash for you."_

_"Ha ha, very funny," Toph mocked as an amused grin worked it's way across her face._

Selfish…

_The lone firebender launched herself towards the Avatar, who jumped out of the way just in time to avoid being incinerated by her assault. Aang, Sokka and Katara all continued to trade blows with the Fire Nation Princess, but despite being outnumbered three-to-one, as she was, Azula was still easily holding her own. She was strong, no question, but the fact that the three comrades were still physically and mentally exhausted from the last two days of running wasn't helping matters either. They seemed to be pushing her back, but they needed help if they were going to beat this girl, and they needed it now._

_Suddenly, the earth beneath the Princess's feet shifted and she was forced to the ground, revealing Toph standing at the entrance to the alley behind her._

_"I thought you guys could use a little help," she said._

_Katara smiled, glad to see their new friend had returned. "Thanks."_

How could she ever fall in love with someone like that?

_Toph sighed contently, smiling as she laid her head on Katara's shoulder._

_"It's a beautiful sunset," Katara murmured, tilting her head and resting it tenderly against the younger girl's. "I wish you could see it."_

_"I don't need to," Toph replied. She then wrapped her arm around Katara's and grasped her hand tightly, fingers intertwined. "I've already got the most beautiful thing out here sitting right next to me, and I don't need my eyes to see that."_

As her eyelids parted, Katara slowly raised a hand to her face and held her fingertips lightly against her lips, remembering the tender kiss that she and Toph had shared out under the lakeside tree; the gentle touch and pleasant sensation of the younger girl's soft lips against her own.

Fall in love… She chuckled lightly to herself as the thought reentered her mind. Was that really what had happened? Had she really fallen in love with her? It was funny in a way. A week ago, if someone had asked Katara whom she imagined herself one day falling in love with, Toph – a twelve year old blind earthbending master, and another _girl_, at that – wouldn't have even been on the list. She probably wouldn't have even thought of the younger girl as a possibility. And yet now, here she was, pining over that very person like a lovesick catdog pup.

Fall in love…the Spirits must be laughing.

After gathering up the last remaining card-tiles, she divided them out into several small piles to count them and make sure she hadn't missed any. She counted them out three separate times only to come up one tile short each time. The waterbender looked around briefly for the last remaining game piece, but couldn't find it anywhere. Then she remembered.

She turned her gaze to the doorway, and there on the apartment floor near the door laid the missing tile. There lay it's various pieces, at least, as it was Katara herself who had – in a flash of anger – thrown it up against the door and broken it to begin with. It wasn't an act she was particularly proud of.

The Water Tribe girl slowly rose to her feet and proceeded to the entryway. As she reached the cluster of fragments scattered on the floor, she knelt down and swept the smaller shards into a pile off to the side. What remained were two larger pieces that had broken apart diagonally across the width of the tile, just above the symbol etched into its center. She picked them up and placed them in the palm of her hand, fitting them together like they would be if the tablet were still whole.

When Katara examined the fragments more closely, she let out a sudden gasp, covering her mouth with her free hand as a feeling of panic and dread washed over her.

_Toph turned her head in Katara's direction, smiling. "How do you do that?"_

_"Do what?" Katara asked, turning to face the younger girl._

_"_That_. You do it with Aang all the time, and you did it with me yesterday. You always know what to say to make people feel better. How do you do that?"_

_"I don't know…I asked my mother that same question once. She was always like that." Katara grinned softly. "She was always there for me when I needed her, and…I'll always be there for you."_

Those last few words repeated in her mind, and a tear trickled down her cheek as she stared down in stunned disbelief at the fractured Earth-Water tile in her hand. She tried telling herself it was just a coincidence, but something deep inside of her refused to believe that…and what the broken tablet might signify frightened her.

That was it; it didn't matter anymore. Katara wasn't sure whether she truly loved Toph or not, nor just how deeply the young earthbender felt for her. What she did know, however, was that she at least wanted the opportunity to find out. If Toph was gone, then that possibility could be gone along with her. She wouldn't allow that to happen, no matter what.

"I'm coming, Toph," Katara said, dropping the ruined game piece to the floor and making her way out of the apartment as quickly as her legs would carry her.

- - - - - - - - - -

Toph stood in disinterest as the large rock barreled towards her at breakneck speed. As it closed in, she casually sidestepped off to one side, letting it fly passed the spot where her head was only a moment before and crash harmlessly to the ground behind her. She tilted her head back slightly in response and raised a hand up to her mouth, letting out an audible yawn in a feigned show of boredom.

Aang growled at the blind girl's dismissive attitude towards him. He took another forceful step forward like before, expelling two more melon-sized stones up out of the earth and shooting them at Toph, one right after the other. When they reached her, the young earthbender lifted up her hands and caught them both with ease as if they were nothing more than simple kickballs.

"Is that all you got?!" she taunted him. "I didn't know we were playing _catch_!"

As she finished her statement, Toph drew her arm back and quickly launched one of the rocks back at Aang with incredible force. He jumped out of the way just in time, barely an instant before the ball of rock slammed into the ground beneath his feet and exploded into a shower of dirt and dust. He landed well and recovered swiftly, rolling to his feet as he prepared to counter the second shot. When it never came, the Avatar refocused his attention on Toph who now stood empty handed, leaving him a little confused.

In that moment of hesitation, Toph quickly shifted her stance and pumped her fist up into the air. A split second later, the other stone was ejected out of the earth just in front of Aang, ramming into his chest and knocking him several feet up off the ground. He grunted hard and grimaced from the stunning force of the impact, but was otherwise uninjured. Using the momentum from her attack, the young airbender contorted his body slightly and threw himself into a backflip. He then instinctively made a brief, fluent motion with his arms and pulled a current of air underneath him, softening his decent.

The blind girl stood, grinning in anticipation of what would be the satisfying thud of Aang falling to the ground. But when all she felt was an unnatural wisp of air blow passed her ear, followed by the light tap of the boy's feet landing delicately on the terrain, that grin was rapidly replaced with a highly irritated scowl. Cheating already…disgraceful.

The Avatar wailed in surprise an instant later as a sheet of earth was ripped out from under his feet like a rug, forcing him off balance and planting him flat on his back. The earthbender smiled at the impact; _there_ was the thud she was waiting for. Aang slowly sat up after a moment and shook off the haze.

"Uh-uh-uhh!" Toph hummed playfully, wagging a finger back and forth at him. "No _airbending_," she finished, her tone now dead serious.

Aang rolled to his feet and resumed a defensive stance, pausing briefly as he tried to shake his sudden tense feeling. He'd used that air-cushion move by accident – more out of intuitive reflex than conscious thought, but what if it happened again? The girl had forgiven it this once, more or less, but what if she caught him doing it again? As if things hadn't started out poorly enough already, now he had one more thing to have to be mindful of.

Toph widened her posture and went into her Southern Preying Mantis stance, loosely extending her arms with her fingers and palms turned skyward. "My turn," she said impishly as the earth began to tremble.


	9. Chapter 9

**_Avatar: The Last Airbender_**

**You're Beautiful**

Author: Xgamerkf

Genre: Drama/Romance

Pairing: Katara/Toph

Rating: Teen – Scenes of Sensuality

Disclaimer: "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and its corresponding characters, locations, and trademarks are the properties of Nickelodeon. All rights reserved.

Author Comments: At long last, the next chapter is finally here! Hooray! Big thanks to everyone for their comments and reviews. As usual, I apologize for the delay in updating. I won't go into details, but if you've read my deviantART journals then it's somewhat explained. Even so this chapter was long overdue, so hopefully it's good enough to help make up for it a little. Enjoy!

**Chapter 9: Secrets Revealed, Part 1**

Katara huffed with each long stride as she finally reached the inner wall of Ba Sing Se. The city's tram system had saved her at least an hour's worth of running thought the streets, but she'd already gotten a late start, and if she didn't hurry there was no way she would get there in time. She had to stop them, even if it meant telling Aang and Sokka before she was ready. It didn't matter anymore what their reactions would be; she couldn't imagine how things could get any worse than they already were.

"Whoa there, little lady," said an elderly looking guard standing at the gate, raising his hand as she approached and signaling her to stop. "Where are you headed in such a hurry?"

"Please," she replied urgently, "I need you to open the gate."

"Oh? And why is that?" inquired a second, younger guard standing nearby.

Katara groaned in frustration. "Look, it's important, alright? I don't have time for this."

"Is that so?" the second guard said haughtily, crossing his arms. "Well then, sweetheart, how about this? Why don't you tell _us_ what's the big rush, and we'll tell _you_ if it's important."

The Water Tribe girl sighed and clenched her fist, fighting back the sudden urge to water-whip the infuriating man. She thought better of it, though, pushing her aggravation and urgency aside for the time being. Getting angry and being rude wouldn't get her anywhere, and assaulting a guard would just get her into trouble. Having no other options, she swallowed her pride and mustered as sympathetic a sounding plea as possible.

"Oh, please forgive me. I'm just in a hurry. I was supposed to meet some friends outside the wall and I'm already running really late."

"Eh, I don't know…" the younger guard muttered, seeming unconvinced, "that doesn't sound so important to me."

"Please? I just need to get through."

"That's enough, Raul. Quit messing with the poor girl," the first guard said, coming to her aid.

"Okay, okay. I was just having a little fun," Raul conceded with a now playful tone to his voice. "So, these friends of yours: A boy around your age wearing blue, and a young blind girl?"

"Err…yeah, that's them," Katara confirmed, puzzled slightly by the mention of what must have been Sokka. "How long ago did they come through here?"

"Oh, I don't know, some twenty-something minutes, I think," the older guard replied. "We'll go ahead and open the gate. I don't want to keep you any longer than we already have."

"Thank you," she said kindly.

The two guards took their positions on either side of the street and with a quick, ridged motion they opened up a doorway in a small section of the wall. Katara darted through the opening without delay, hearing it being closed shut again by the guards after she emerged on the other side. She then paused briefly to allow herself a moment to think and catch her breath.

Twenty minutes. She wasn't as close as she'd hoped she would be, and the fact that Sokka was here to meet Toph when she came through was more than a little irritating. He probably didn't even bother trying to _catch_ Aang, much less talk him out of all this nonsense. It figures, she should have known better than to expect any help from her jerk of a brother. Even so, with how Aang was acting it probably wouldn't have made any difference anyway, and if she hurried she might still be able to catch them. What happens after that, she didn't know, she just hoped she wasn't already too late.

The waterbender looked out over the horizon and then started off at as fast a pace as she could muster. After only a few seconds, however, she heard a faint rumbling in the distance and felt the earth shudder slightly beneath her feet. She stopped dead in her tracks as an ominous feeling came over her.

"Oh no…"

Sokka winced as he looked on and saw Aang slam into the ground yet again, landing on his side and rolling twice before coming to a stop, laying facedown in the dirt. When the dust settled around him, he slowly pushed himself up on his hands and knees and rubbed a patch of dirt off his cheek, groaning from the soreness he felt throughout his body.

"Impressive!"

The Avatar lifted his head and glared intently at Toph across the way, who stood with her arms folded and a smug grin on her face. Aang grimaced as he rose to one knee and clutched the spot on his shoulder on which he'd landed, certain the fall would leave a bruise – one of several, by now.

"You're getting pretty good at taking falls," she continued taunting. "I could've felt that one a mile away."

"Ugh, me too," Sokka added, cringing.

The airbender staggered to his feet and pushed the throbbing pain of his muscles from his mind. He didn't understanding how things could be going so badly. Everything he threw either missed or was redirected back at him, resulting in him crashing into the ground. It was so…infuriating.

He quickly refocused himself and resumed his earthbending stance, taking a step forward and planting his foot firmly to the ground. He leaned forward and shifted the weight from his back foot, pulling up the back half of a slab of rock along with it. He repeated this action with his front foot, seesawing the slab backward on a mound of earth forming underneath before smashing it back down into place, sending a large wave of earth rolling towards Toph, growing in size as it went. He then adjusted his stance, readying himself for his next move for when the mound reached its target.

Toph responded by widening her stance and squatting down low, spreading her arms out to each side in a wide arch. With her wrists bent and hands slightly cupped, she brought them around in a broad scooping motion. As they returned to her center, in one fluent motion she flipped the position of her hands and pushed both arms skyward. An instant later, the enormous mound of moving dirt exploded into a dense cloud of dust and debris, scattering bits of rubble about the landscape and quelling the attack the airbender had planned.

Aang could only groan and grit his teeth in frustration.

Why couldn't he _hit_ her? It was a stupid question for him to ask himself, having already known the answer since before they began. It wasn't that he couldn't hit her, that he didn't have the ability to land a blow. He just…_couldn't_. His conscience wouldn't let him. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but there was more to it than that.

It was taking everything he had to keep his anger at bay. Every failed attack he made, every hit and snide remark Toph delivered, all of them served to further fuel his animosity towards her. It was so tempting to just give in, to let it all out and use it against her, but he couldn't risk it. What if he went too far? What if he lost control? He all but hated her for everything that had happened, but he could never forgive himself if he hurt her…Katara would never forgive him.

"Hey, Aang!" Toph called out through the thick dust cloud, breaking the boy's train of thought. "How does thirty inches of granite strike yuh?!"

Aang narrowed his eyebrows, puzzled by the girl's strange question. Before he could put any thought into it's meaning, however, a stone larger than a watermelon shot out through the dust cloud, leaving the tiny airborne particles twisting and swirling in it's wake as it sped towards him. All of a sudden the meaning of her little riddle was crystal clear.

"Oh…"

The bland expression of realization was all he had time to mutter before the mass of rock collided with his shoulder, grazing passed his forearms that he'd only just been able to cross in front of him to shield himself from a direct hit. It was only a glancing blow, ricocheting off the side of his upper arm and landing in a heap of rubble several feet away, but the force of the impact was still enough to throw him off balance and send him spiraling back down to the ground, grunting from the soreness that once again coursed through his body.

When the dust finally settled, Toph straightened her posture and crossed her arms, lowering her head and frowning in disappointment.

This was getting pathetic. She'd barely had to exert any effort at all over these last five minutes and she was wiping the floor with him. As a matter of fact, if she hadn't been holding back, for the most part – purposely avoiding direct blows and using what basically amounted to glorified dirt clods as opposed to solid stone, she probably could have broken several of Aang's bones by now…if not worse. But no more, she was going to put a stop to this nonsense now.

"Alright, that's it!" she barked angrily. "This has gone on long enough! Are you going to fight me or not?!"

"W-what?" Aang replied groggily as he staggered to his feet. "What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! Do you want to prove you've master earthbending or not?!"

"Wha-? Of course! That's why we're out here!"

"Then stop holding back!"

As Sokka watched the scene unfold, his eyebrows rose slightly in surprise when he heard Toph's words. Aang was holding back? Of course…he had to be. For some reason the thought hadn't occurred to him before, but it was so obvious now. He'd figured that Toph was right about Aang still needing training, but even if he did have a way to go before he mastered earthbending, there was no way the fight should be this one-sided, not if he were really trying. Maybe he was having second thoughts; coming to his senses about all of this. The young warrior hoped that was the case, at least.

Meanwhile, Aang felt his nerves tense up at the girl's accusation. How could she…? He closed his eyes and pushed the thought aside. Of course she would know – he didn't know why he was surprised by that fact. Regardless, he couldn't admit to it. It would raise too many questions, questions he wasn't sure he'd be able to answer, with "why" being the biggest one.

"I'm not!" he lied, denying the claim.

"Boarcrap!" The blind girl retorted, not believing him for an instant. "I've seen baby badgermoles that could put up a better fight than you!"

"I'm doing the best I can!"

Toph lowered her head and let out a long sigh. "If that's really true," she started, a somber tone slipping into her voice, "then I am ashamed to call myself your earthbending teacher. We're through here." She then turned towards the area where Sokka stood watching, and began walking. "You're training resumes tomorrow morning at dawn."

An alarm suddenly went off in Aang's head as all of his fears swept over him, reinforcing the gravity of the situation he was facing. It was…over? He lost? No…no, he would never lose Katara so easily, barely putting up a fight. And yet…that's exactly what happened. He had been so afraid that Katara would hate him if he somehow hurt Toph that he couldn't bring himself to fight, but as a result he lost anyway. No, he couldn't let it end this way, he was _not_ going to lose her. It wasn't over…not yet.

"Wait," he said, taking a weary step forward and painfully clutching at his side. "I'm not done."

Toph didn't respond and continued walking, hearing his plea and ignoring it. The airbender grimaced and clenched his fist as a sudden flash of anger sparked within him, fuming from the girl's dismissive attitude.

"I'm not finished yet!"

"Then _hit_ me!" Toph exclaimed, turning back to face him. "Knock me off my feet! Hmph, if you even can…"

Aang closed his eyes as the emotional conflict culminating inside of him reached its peak. The darkness he felt in his heart was raging though his insides and struggling to get out, fighting savagely against every sensible thought and moral fiber of his being…and the darkness was winning. There was no choice now – the threat of losing her was just too strong. The time for thinking was over. It was time to act, to do what was necessary to take back what was his.

Spirits help him…

"Now!"

On her signal, Aang squared his shoulders and took a single ridged step forward, ejecting three head sized stones up out of the ground in front of him simultaneously. He then swung his other leg around, his foot meeting each of them at their zenith and launching them forward. He took another step, firing three more stones, then three more; all in one, fluent set of motions completed within a matter of a few seconds.

Toph responded immediately by shifting back into her fighting stance, lifting one hand up in the air and bending a large pillar out of the earth ahead of her. She slid her foot forward on the ground and quickly swept it back across in front of her, dragging the pillar along with it and blocking the first cluster of stones. As the now ruined column crumbled away, she slid her other foot out in front and thrust her hand forward with her middle, ring and pinky fingers extended. Not a moment later, three narrow beams of rock jutted diagonally out of the ground away from her, intercepting the next set of stones before it all collapsed into a pile of rubble.

The last three projectiles were dispatched by the young earthbender just as quickly with two strong jabs and a firm headbutt, disintegrating them instantly and reducing them to dust. She then adjusted her stance and prepared for one final counterattack, huffing lightly to herself in a slight feeling of disappointment. Not bad, but he'd have to do better than that if he was going to…

In her moment of hesitation, Toph felt the earth shift beneath her feet as it was unexpectedly pushed out from under her, forcing her off balance. She shrieked in surprise as she fell forward, barely managing to catch herself with her hands before she hit the ground face first. When the shock subsided, she closed her widened eyes and shook her head in order to ease the sudden tension in her nerves.

He'd caught her off guard. That barrage of rocks was never meant to actually reach her, only draw her attention, and then when she started to counterattack he would interrupt it with his own. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Good…_very_ good. He was learning something after all. With that thought in mind, a sly grin tugged at the girl's lips as she pushed herself up onto one knee.

"Very good, Twinkle-Toes! Now _that's_ more like it!"

Aang grumbled in annoyance at the remark, his muscles tensing. "Stop calling me 'Twinkle-Toes'."

Toph merely chuckled lightly in response. "Not a chance…Twinkle-Toes." With that, she balled her hand into a fist and drilled it down into the ground beside her, forcing a huge column of rock up out of the earth directly under her opponent's feet.

As the pillar began to rise, the Avatar quickly bent his knees and rode it skyward, jumping off when it reached it's peak and launching him a good fifteen to twenty feet into the air. On descent, he lifted his arms over his head and gripped his hands together, and when he landed he stomped his feet and slammed his fists down hard, leaving a shallow crater several feet across imprinted in the ground below him. A large boulder as tall as he was then jutted up from the ground ahead of him, suspended briefly in midair before being propelled forward.

The blind girl reacted swiftly by planting one foot forward and twisting her back foot sideways, rooting herself into the earth. As the boulder approached, she lurched forward and clapped her hands together out in front of her, cleaving the mass of rock vertically through the center like an apple being sliced by a blade. The two halves separated and blew passed her, easily missing her on either side by about a foot as they continued along their newly altered trajectory. The moment they passed, she shifted her weight to her hind leg and cocked her arms back before thrusting them forward again, palms facing outward. The hunks of stone responded to her movements in turn, coming to a stop in mid-flight behind her before snapping back towards Aang as if they were fired from a slingshot.

Aang promptly brought his forearms to bear, pulling two massive, triangular slabs up along with them, shielding himself behind a half-pyramid of solid rock. The two boulders plowed into the barrier a second later, ripping themselves apart from the force of the impact and leaving gaping wounds in the walls where they hit. The airbender let out a sigh of relief as a result, not entirely confident that his makeshift shields would be able to withstand the blows. They barely did, at that, toppling over soon after and forcing him to jump back to avoid being crushed.

Sokka stood in awe with Momo perched up on his shoulder, a similar expression occupying the lemur's face as they watched the scene unfurl. Thousands of pounds of soil and stone being moved, warped and tossed around like rags in only a minute's time – it was almost unbelievable. He hadn't remembered the fighting in the _Earth Rumble_ matches even being this exciting. If it weren't for the current circumstances he probably would have let out an exuberant cheer or two at the display of power. Oh, how he wished he could do some of that bending stuff at times like this.

A moment later, a melon-sized chunk of debris lying next to Aang shot up and slammed into his side, causing him to grunt loudly and grimace as he doubled over, clutching his ribs in pain. He looked back up and glared intently at Toph standing across the way, still wearing that same smug grin on her face, perfectly framed between the pair of hair-loops she still wore that constantly reminded him of Katara. Again…she'd done it _again!_ What did he have to do?! Every single time it was the same blasted thing! Curse that little wench!

The airbender snarled furiously and leapt forward, tightly clenching his fist and punching through the air with a powerful uppercut motion. The ground before him erupted in a spray of dirt and gravel, a by-product accompanying one of the ruined barriers that rested there as it was ripped off the ground and flung recklessly across the battlefield.

Toph dug in with her back foot and flexed her arms down by her side in preparation. When the wall of stone neared, she quickly thrust her hands forward and intercepted it, catching the edge flat against her palms. It didn't stop coming, however, and she immediately began to strain and grit her teeth as the sheer momentum from the massive slab overwhelmed her and started pushing her back. She held firm and resisted with all her might, carving a shallow wound in the earth before finally sliding to a stop several feet from where she previously stood. She paused briefly and took in a few labored breaths, then heaved the mass of rock over her head and threw it off to the side where it landed with a thud, causing the ground to shake.

Aang growled and lunged forward again moments later, throwing both hands out towards the young earthbender in a fit of rage. There was a slight tremor amidst the landscape, and every single piece of debris around him, ranging anywhere in size from that of a closed fist to a chair, flew off the ground spiraling randomly over the terrain in Toph's direction; many of which wildly off target.

She squared her stance and prepared to earthbend a wall up to defend herself, when suddenly she hesitated, her concentration divided by a pair of familiar footsteps quickly approaching the scene. It couldn't be…

"Stop!" called a loud, frantic voice, drawing Toph and Sokka's attention.

The blind girl's eyes lit up as the sound of the voice reached her ears. Katara? It _was_ her! She came! Sokka was right! She actually-

"Ugh!" Toph grunted in pain, her mind thrown back into reality by a stone hitting her in the shoulder. She staggered a little from the impact and was immediately struck again in the chest, then again in the other shoulder and to the side of her lower abdomen before she finally brought her forearms to bear.

Katara watched in horror as the younger girl was pelted by the barrage of rocks and forced to the ground. "Stop it!" she cried out again in desperation, running to them as fast as she could. She came to a halt near where her brother was standing and gazed out at the surroundings, taken aback by the level of destruction that marred the landscape.

There was a narrow fissure that zigzagged back and forth across the battlefield like a bolt of lightning, scarring the earth between the two combatants. Boulders of every shape and size, along with the jagged, broken remains of rocks and pillars jutting up from the ground, were scattered randomly all around them. It was total carnage. She couldn't understand; they were friends, how could they do this to each other?

When the waterbender's gaze finally worked its way over to Aang, what she saw startled her. He looked so…angry. The look in his eyes, so full of fire and hate; she'd never seen him like this outside the Avatar State before. It was frightening. Something was wrong…she knew it. There was far more to this than just his earthbending training.

"You can't have her!" shouted Aang, somehow unaware of Katara's arrival or simply paying her no mind.

"W-what?" Toph replied, slowly pushing herself up off the ground. She groaned softly and hissed at the stinging sensation from the fresh cuts and scrapes on her arms. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't even start! I saw you!" he retorted. "And don't try and deny it! I saw you with my own two eyes! You and Katara! I saw you out by the lake! I saw you kissing!"

Katara stood stunned and motionless, and an enormous weight fell over her as her friend's words resonated throughout her being. "He knows…?" she muttered in disbelief. A moment later, memories of the night before started replaying in her mind: Aang's outburst, Sokka's odd behavior – it all suddenly made sense. Wait…Sokka?!

An instant later, she turned towards Sokka with the fury of a hurricane inside her. "You _knew?!_ You knew that…that we…that Aang was upset?! You knew…this whole time, and you…you…" She paused briefly as streams of tears began running down her cheeks. "How could you…?"

"Katara…" he began, taking a cautions step towards her, absolutely ridden with guilt.

"How could you?!" she cried, shoving him back and nearly knocking him to the ground.

Meanwhile, Toph rose to her feet with her eyebrows narrowed in confusion at Aang's words. She didn't know how he could have possibly seen them. They were practically out in the middle of nowhere, and she would have sensed him walking up on them long before… Her thoughts trailed off for a second, then it donned on her. He was an airbender; she could have been looking right at him, but if he were using his glider she wouldn't have ever even known he was there. Spirits, that was annoying.

So much for Katara's wanting to tell them when she was ready – Aang already knew, and based on the shouting she heard nearby, so did Sokka. No point trying to hide it anymore. "Alright, fine. We kissed. So what? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything!" the boy replied. "It's your fault Appa's gone, I won't let you take Katara, too!"

"What?!" Toph shouted back, completely shocked by the revelation. "_That's_ what this is all about?! You're still blaming me for Appa, and now you're mad at me because Katara and I like each other?!"

She paused briefly and just stared into nothingness, half in anger, and half in utter disbelief at what she was hearing. This never had anything to do with his training, or her safety during the invasion. Everything he'd said back at the apartment – his reasoning, his voiced concern, it was all a lie. He'd found out about the girls' feelings for each other, and now he…he wanted her gone. Was Katara right? Did Aang and Sokka…hate them?

The young earthbender shook her head and pushed the thought aside. Who cares what those two thought? She and Katara liked each other, and that was enough as far as she was concerned. If those idiots didn't like it, that was their problem.

"Forget this. We're done here," she said firmly, turning towards where Katara stood, and started walking.

The Water Tribe girl looked on, ignoring whatever Sokka was trying to say to her, now hearing little more than incoherent babbling rather than words. When she saw her friend starting to make her way over in their direction, she gave her brother one last, lingering glance, her eyes filled with pain and the feeling of betrayal, before turning away from him and running out to meet Toph.

"Katara, wait!" Sokka pled with her. He quickly reached out after his sister as she started off, catching her by the arm just in time and stopping her before she could get away. "Let me explain!"

"Let go!" she yelled, violently trying to rip her arm from her brother's grip. He managed to hang on, however, wrapping his other arm around her and pulling her into a firm hug, but careful to keep as gentle a hold on her as possible. Not an easy thing to do with her continuously fighting to break free from him.

"Please, just listen! I tried to stop them. I tried to talk to him, just like you said, but he wouldn't listen!" He paused for a moment as he felt her once desperate struggles begin to die away. Now was his chance; she was listening, for the time being at least. "I'm sorry. I didn't know," he explained softly. "Aang told me, but I…I didn't… If I'd known what this was really about I never would have acted like I did. I was stupid…and I'm sorry…"

Sokka stood for a short time longer and just held Katara there in his arms, hoping his words would sink in. It was all he could think to do to try and calm her down, to reassure her that he was on her side. Based on her increasingly relaxed demeanor, it seemed to have had an affect. After another few seconds, he felt her begin to stir against him once again in an attempt to get away, though with considerably less aggression behind her efforts than before. This time he let her go, and watched as she made her way out to the young earthbender.

Momo – who seemed to have gone missing during all of this – hopped up onto the boy's shoulder and purred, his ears sunken down by his side. Sokka let out a faint sigh in response. "Yeah…me too…"

**Chapter 9: Secrets Revealed, Part 2**

When Katara reached Toph out on the battlefield, she wasted no time in pulling the younger girl into her loving arms and holding her tightly as they each shared the warmth of the other's embrace. For their own reasons, they were both right and wrong all at the same time about how they had acted towards one another. They both knew it, too, but none of that mattered to either of them right now.

"I'm so glad you're alright," Katara said, practically gleaming with joy.

"I told you I wouldn't get hurt," Toph replied with a small grin, pulling away and breaking the hug.

As they separated, her arms lightly brushed up against the older girl's clothes and irritated the scratches that had been caused earlier, making her wince slightly from the stinging pain. This reaction did not go unnoticed, however, and Katara immediately looked down at her friend's arms to see the source of that discomfort, as well as the blood slowly seeping from her wounds and smeared up and down her arms.

"Well, you did," she countered, carefully holding the girl's arms in her hands. "You're bleeding."

"It's nothing, just a few scratches."

While that was probably the case, Katara wasn't about to dismiss the injuries so hastily having witnessed what caused them. She reached for the pouch on her side to draw out some water so she could heal Toph's arms, but quickly realized that it wasn't there. She'd left the house in such a hurry earlier that she must have forgotten all about it. It was probably still lying around on the floor in her room, or out in the foyer somewhere. No matter. At least the fighting was over, and none of the wounds looked bad enough that they couldn't heal themselves anyway.

"Alright then," the waterbender said, smiling lightly as she placed a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "It has to hurt, though. Let's just get back to the apartment and I'll touch you up a little."

"Whoa there, Sugar Queen," Toph replied, taking a step back and lifting her hands in a defensive manner. "I like you and all, but…jeez, take it easy, will you? I'm only twelve!"

Katara narrowed her eyebrows a little in confusion. "What are you-?" She paused suddenly at the realization of what her friend's comment meant, and her cheeks turned flush with embarrassment. "Toph! I… That…that is _not_ what I meant, and you know it."

"Whatever you say, Katara," the blind girl teased, enjoying her little moment of revenge for the joke she had played on her yesterday at the clothing store. "Whatever you say." She then chuckled softly to herself and resumed walking, with Katara following behind shortly after.

In the meantime, Aang looked on as the two girls shared their little moment out on the battlefield, and all the while a devious smirk tugged at his lips. "So, that's it then?" he asked, a haughty undertone slipping into his voice. "I guess that means you lose, Toph."

"Ha! You wish," she scoffed, not breaking stride.

"Don't you remember?" he continued, smugly crossing his arms. "You just quit."

"And _you_ lied. What's your point?"

"We had a deal, remember? You forfeited, which means you lose. You lose…you leave."

Toph stopped in her tracks at the sound of the boy's words, quickly getting aggravated with him again. This was becoming truly absurd now. As rash and insolent as it was, she could at least understand Aang doing this for the reasons he gave them back at the house, but this? He wanted her to leave because she and Katara liked each other? It was insane. Enough was enough.

"You listen here, clouds-for-brains," she began, extending her arm and pointing her finger straight at him across the field. "I came out here because you said you wanted to prove you've mastered earthbending. I did _not_ come out here to fight you over Katara! I don't know what your problem is, but how I feel about her is none of your business! Now, I want you to understand one very simple thing: I am not going _anywhere_. Deal's off."

With that, Katara reached up and place a supportive hand on the young earthbender's shoulder, giving Aang little more than a saddened, disappointed gaze before they resumed walking.

The once satisfied expression on the Avatar's face vanished almost immediately, having his hopes dashed yet again and seeing nothing that he could do about it. How could he be so stupid? He had just blurted out the real reasons behind all of this, the very truth that he'd been so desperate to keep secret. There wasn't a single thing he could say to try and save face that they would ever believe. Whatever chance he may have had was now gone. It was over.

"You can't have her," he said out of the blue, his animosity apparent in his voice.

"For the love of…" Toph muttered under her breath, her frustration rapidly reaching its peak. She then turned and faced him, her anger written all over her face. "What's your problem?! Why not, huh? Why? Is it because we're both girls? What kind of stupid reason is that?!"

"Come on, Toph," Katara cut in, a sour undertone to her voice. "Let's just go."

The airbender gave no real reply, simply repeating his previous words almost systematically. "You can't have her."

"What do you care anyway?!" Toph barked back. "I don't see _your_ name on her!"

"How could you? You can't see anything anyway!"

"That's it!" she exclaimed, his callous remark finally pushing her over the edge. She stepped towards him an instant later and resumed her unique fighting stance.

Katara was about to intervene when a swell of earth suddenly rose up from underneath her, causing her to shriek in surprise as she was knocked off her feet and laid out flat on a slab resting atop the mound. A moment later the ground began to move, carrying the slab along with it like a raft being hauled down a raging river. With no time to react, all the Water Tribe girl could do was hang on to the sides and ride it out as it carried her over towards Sokka, who now stood wide-eyed with a fearful expression on his face. The slab came to an abrupt halt only a few feet away from him before it dropped back down into the earth, throwing her off and onto him and sending the two siblings crashing to the ground.

With Katara now safely – relatively – out of the way, Toph reaffirmed her stance and extended her arms out in front of her. A low, barely audible groan emanated from the landscape as she unclenched her fists. A second later she took a step forward and slammed her foot back into the ground, causing a torrent of fragmented rock, dirt and debris to explode out ahead of her, filling the air and quickly engulfing the battlefield in a thick cloud of dust.

As the dust spread, Sokka and Katara shook off their mild dizziness and righted themselves, looking back out at their friends just in time to see Toph marching forward and disappearing into the cloud. They were then, however, forced to turn away and breathe into their arms as it overtook them, gradually being pushed their way by the light breeze.

Aang, meanwhile, was already coughing into his sleeve and struggling to keep the dirt out of his eyes, having been blasted and surrounded by the earthen fog before he could effectively react. This was a tactic he was certainly familiar with seeing the girl use: limiting her opponent's visibility and taking away their only means of attack and retaliation. A person can't fight what they can't see, after all. That advantage would last long, though, as he had an advantage of his own in situations like this.

A small gap in the cloud reached him a few seconds later, allowing him a brief moment to pause and catch a clean breath. He made a few quick motions with his arms, and then fluently brought them down and out to either side of his body, drawing in a large gust of air from above. The powerful downward wind blew the dust clear of the entire area almost instantly, revealing…nothing.

He retreated back a step and fell into a defensive stance, looking around with a sense of confusion. He glanced to his left where Sokka and Katara sat recovering from the dust, and quickly scanned the surroundings in search of his opponent. He looked left, right, even behind himself in case she'd managed to slip around somehow. But wherever he looked, the only thing he saw was the barren terrain, with Toph nowhere to be found.

When the Water Tribe siblings recovered and turned their gaze back out to the battlefield, they were met with the same empty landscape, and their minds filled with their own bewildered thoughts and disbelief. They traded a quick glance with one another and proceeded to look around for her themselves, but were stuck with the same results. She was gone.

"Wha-? Toph? Where…where'd she go?" Katara muttered, turning towards Sokka who could only shrug his shoulders in response.

They couldn't at all think where she could have gone. She was right there not thirty seconds ago. There weren't any boulders or anything still lying around large enough for her to hide behind, and there was no way she could have gotten out of sight range in so short a time – not that running had seemed like a very likely thing to be on her mind. Somehow she'd just vanished.

Katara called out a couple of times for her friend, pausing briefly and waiting for some kind of response. Suddenly, there was a loud crackling noise as a slender pillar several feet tall ejected itself out of the ground near where the young earthbender previously stood, startling everyone and making them flinch slightly in surprise. The pillar then withdrew back into the earth a moment later, only to have another one instantly shoot up a few feet away from the first. Within a second's time, that one too dropped back beneath the surface and was replaced by a third.

Aang hastily changed his stance, noticing a pattern in the columns' emergence with them coming up a few paces closer to him each time. One right after the other, then another, and another; each one jutting up and then immediately receding back into the ground, rapidly getting closer and closer. He knew he had to move, and fast, but if he reacted too soon, wherever Toph was, she would certainly take advantage of it.

He stood with his full focus concentrated on the approaching pillars, waiting for the right time to evade. He didn't have to wait long, however, and they were soon within spitting distance. He braced himself to make his move as one more pillar disappeared belowground only a few feet ahead of him, when suddenly they stopped.

Instead of the expected attack, there was nothing but a quiet stillness in the air that left his entire body on edge. The tension was excruciating, as mere seconds seemed to creep by like minutes. Then, without warning, another stone column exploded up from behind him and slammed square into his back, sending him flying through the air and crashing down over ten feet away.

Sokka and Katara could only look on, unable to react despite the concern evident in their body language. Katara, especially, standing with her eyes wide and her hands covering her mouth after seeing another of her friends thrown so violently to the ground.

She didn't know what to do. First Toph, and now Aang. There had to be something she could do to stop them before someone got badly hurt, but what? If she had brought her pouch she might be able to use her water to trap them in some ice or something, stop them that way. Without her waterbending, though, she was useless. There was nothing she could think to do that wouldn't end up with her just getting caught in the crossfire, and Sokka's thoughts were much the same.

The young Avatar groaned hard as he laid facedown in the dirt, writhing from the intense pain in his back. He could barely move it hurt so much, and every breath made it feel like a crushing weight was pressing down on his insides. He couldn't remember ever being hit so hard before. His strength was drained, and it was a struggle for him to even try and push himself off the ground. When he finally made it up onto his hands and knees, he noticed a large shadow looming over him and immediately knew what it was.

"I guess this means you lose," Toph said, standing nearby with a massive boulder suspended above her opponent. She grinned softly to herself – attacking from underground worked better than she thought it would. She'd have to remember that for the future.

Aang closed his eyes as his head throbbed, overwhelmed with the pain coursing through his body and the memories of the two girls again invading his thoughts. The images flashed through his head almost in a blur, unrelenting in his mind's continued war with itself, quickly revitalizing the feelings of anger that still burned inside him. Everything he'd ever loved had been taken away from him, but not again. He couldn't take it anymore – he wouldn't take it anymore. Just then, he felt his head swoon as a sudden sense of vertigo rushed over him…and then everything went black.

"_No…_" the Avatar hissed, his voice strained and distant with a strange, hollow quality.

At the same time, Toph swung the boulder clear and let it drop to the ground with a thud. She then turned slightly and began walking, leaving him hunched over on the ground as she stepped around him in route to where the others stood. After only a few steps, she hesitated. Something was different; there was a change in the air. She couldn't describe it, something just felt…wrong. A moment later, her nerves tensed up when she felt a soft ripple move through the earth, and she quickly turned back towards Aang.

"_NOOO!_" he roared, an enormous burst of air suddenly exploding out around him in all directions.

Caught off guard, the young earthbender took the full brunt of the shockwave head on and was thrown off her feet and carried through the air, landing on her back nearly thirty feet away somewhere off to the side between Aang and the others.

She rolled over slowly and groaned as she staggered to her feet, feeling a little disoriented from the force of the blast. However, her dizziness vanished almost immediately when she felt the ground violently begin to shake. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she struggled to even keep her balance. She'd never felt vibrations this powerful before, and they weren't letting up. It was frightening, especially considering that there didn't seem to be a source.

"What's going on?!" she exclaimed, nearly in a panic.

"Get out of there!" Sokka yelled to her, pausing briefly to recover his own balance. "It's Aang! He's gone into the Avatar State!"

Without a second thought, Toph took that as her cue that it was time to go. She didn't understand very much about all this Avatar stuff yet, but one thing she did know – based on what the others had explained to her about the last few times he'd done this – is that it was not something she wanted to mess with. Without further delay, she wheeled around in the general direction of Sokka's voice, and ran. She barely managed three full strides before a gust of air plowed into her from behind and knocked her back to the ground.

"Toph!" Katara called out in alarm, unsure of what to do. Spirits, why did she have to forget that blasted water pouch? "Sokka, do something!" she pleaded in utter desperation.

"What do you want me to do? All I've got is this lousy boomerang," he replied helplessly, leaving his sister dejected with no other options but to stand and watch.

As the quaking subsided, what once was a calm breeze drifting through suddenly multiplied in velocity tenfold, kicking up clouds of dust across the landscape. The strong wind swirled around the entire area in an enormous arc, gravitating around a single point where the currents converged and shot skyward. The same point where Aang stood hunched over, fists pressed together tightly with his eyes and tattoos aglow. With all the dirt and dust being sucked in it looked like a small tornado in the middle of a desert.

Keeping her face shielded from any airborne debris, Katara peered out past her arm and considered the situation, one that had become all too familiar since the group's journey began. It was always the same. Something would happen that would upset Aang so greatly that he couldn't cope with the stress, and he would lose all sense of himself. For some reason, only she seemed to have any influence with him then.

She knew what she needed to do.

Pushing her apprehensiveness aside, the waterbender slowly stepped forward, staying low to the ground and fighting against the gale-force winds that constantly threatened to push her off balance. Sokka was about to try and catch her when he stopped himself, understanding what it was she had to do – as if he could actually stop her if he wanted to. Hearing a frantic squeal from Momo, who was clutching his sleeve for dear life, he grabbed onto the lemur and pulled him in close to keep him from getting blown away.

When Katara felt confident that she could hold her footing she started to increase her pace. She had to get to Aang and snap him out of this before something bad happened. The idea of all that power being unleashed on Toph was just… She stifled the thought. She wouldn't let it come to that.

"Aang! Aang!" she shouted, hoping it would be enough to get his attention. Having no such luck, she pressed on. She needed to get closer.

Meanwhile, Toph finally recovered from the blow she suffered a minute before, though her shoulders were aching badly and her left cheek burned from where it scraped against the ground. She staggered to her feet, struggling to keep her balance as her hair and clothes whipped around wildly in the wind. She couldn't delay for too long, though, or she'd just end up flat on her face again. But before she could get moving, her attention was again divided by a set of footsteps approaching nearby.

"What the heck do you think you're doing out here?!" she scolded. "Get back!"

"I have to get to Aang!" Katara replied. "I'm the only one who can stop him!"

"You dummy! Get out of here! It's too- Huugh!"

The blind girl's words were abruptly cut short by a column of rock jutting up from below, brutally slamming into her stomach and then retreating back into the earth. Her eyes widened in shock as the muscle-reflex instantly evacuated every trace of breath from her lungs, causing her to drop down on her hands and knees and vomit up a small mixture of saliva and stomach fluid, as well as a trace of blood. Her body heaved and gagged uncontrollably as it gasped, in vain, for air, desperate to replenish the lost oxygen. She couldn't inhale, she couldn't even exhale; it was like she was drowning on dry land.

After a brief pause, another small pillar shot up and plowed into her side, sending her already battered body tumbling another several feet across the ground.

"No! Toph!" Katara exclaimed as her friend collapsed. She then turned back to Aang, who was still surrounded by a whirlwind of dirt and debris. "Aang! Aang, stop!" she cried, her heart racing. "Stop it! Please, I…I…" She hesitated, trying to find something, anything she could say to make him stop. In the heat of the moment, there was only one thing that came to mind. "I love her!"

_"I love her!"_

Suddenly the hard expression on the Avatar's face softened, and the angry look in his eyes began to fade.

_"I love her…"_

_"…love her…"_

The words echoed in the boy's mind, piercing deep and awakening the part of him – the real him – that had fallen into unconsciousness, throwing it back to the forefront. His eyelids closed and fluttered as the world rushed back to him, and then snapped open again. All at once, the intense white glow emanating from his eyes and tattoos vanished, and everything fell still.

Aang stood and stared down at his trembling hands, breathing heavily. He blinked and looked around in earnest, rapt with confusion as he tried to recall what just happened. How…how was he standing? The last thing he remembered he was lying facedown on the ground, completely exhausted and in so much pain that he could hardly move. Now those symptoms felt like little more than a dull aching and a shortage of breath. It was only after his weary gaze found Toph in the distance that he had any inkling as to why.

A second later he spotted Katara rushing towards her, frantically calling her name. The scene immediately sent a sharp chill down the young airbender's spine. "What did I do…?"

Katara promptly knelt down by her friend's side, asking repeatedly if the younger girl was okay. She started to panic when there was no response, and quickly put her hand on the girl's shoulder and shook her lightly, greatly relieved by the soft coughing sounds that followed. She hurried to reposition herself and gently rolled Toph onto her back, carefully resting the earthbender's head in her lap.

The blind girl's eyelids fluttered slightly, trying to open. She moaned softly in an attempt to speak only to feel a spike of pain shoot through her chest, rewarding her efforts with nothing but another series of dry, feeble coughs. Her breathing was still too weak; she just didn't have any strength left. She was so tired.

"Shhh… Don't try to talk," Katara said in a soothing tone, smiling down and tenderly stroking her friend's cheek as a misty tear formed in her eyes. "It's okay, it's over. It's all over now."

Toph's body grew tense and she released another quiet moan. She thought she heard something for a second…a voice. It was trying to tell her…something, but she couldn't make it out. All the words seemed to run together. There was no harshness, though. The voice was soft…relaxing, a little like the feathery sensation that she felt on her cheek. She wondered briefly what it could be, but simply didn't have the energy left to think clearly.

Sleep beckoned her. It was a strange feeling, but nice…so warm and inviting. She had neither the will nor desire to fight it, and soon faded away into the waiting slumber.

"Toph! Katara!" Sokka yelled, finally making his way out to the girls' side. He stopped and stood next to them, looking down with concern at the young earthbender resting in his sister lap. He nearly froze when he noticed she wasn't moving. "Is…is she…?"

"She'll be alright. She's unconscious," Katara assured him, visibly lifting the weight off his shoulders. "She just needs to rest," she added, before leaning forward and kissing Toph lightly on the nose.

Sokka winced slightly, not quite sure how to react to the sight. As much as he didn't mind the idea of the two girls liking each other that way, it was still his little sister. Seeing her kissing someone was, well…weird. Not to mention how annoying it would get if her and Toph were always so lovey-dovey around each other now. He had to admit, this situation was going to take a little getting used to. On the bright side, if nothing else, he could always tease them about it.

"T-Toph…?" came Aang's timid voice, drawing the attention of two people he hoped were still his friends. He took a cautious step towards them as his eyes drifted up to meet Katara's, who lowered her head and looked away only a moment later. His heart sank. "Katara, I…"

"Back off!" Sokka barked suddenly, jumping in and positioning himself between his sister and the Avatar. "Katara was right, I never should've let you go through with this! Look at what you did! You hurt Toph!"

"I'm sorry! I'm _so_ sorry! I don't…I didn't mean for things to go this far." He looked desperately into the older boy's eyes, which glared back at him furiously. He stepped forward again, still trying to plead his case. "Please, you have to believe me! I-"

"I said stay back!" the warrior demanded, taking a defensive stance as he clutched the boomerang in the holster on his back. "Don't you go anywhere near them!"

Aang stopped in his tracks upon seeing Sokka's hostile reaction, water forming in his eyes as he slowly staggered back. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, overcome with sorrow, then turned and ran. He extended his arm out to his side and whipped up a cushion of air underneath his airbending staff, which had been discarded earlier, pulling it back to him. Without a moment's hesitation, he extended the wings of the glider and took off towards the northern sky even as the tears ran down his face.


End file.
